by Izzy Clinger (Georgia State Intern)
When I came to Central Outreach and Advocacy Center as a social work intern, I don’t think I truly grasped the full meaning of what a community can mean to a person’s journey. The
sheer reach of it–the impact that it creates for not only the whole, but the individual.
Yet as I stepped into the center for the first time, I think I instantly knew that I was walking into a family. Not just the staff, the incredible people who walk into work everyday not just out of necessity but out of a love for what they do, but the people who come into the center seeking services, clothes, or just a person willing to hear them out.
I have had several guests speak to me about their stories. The places they’ve been or
haven’t been, the people they’ve known, what they’ve seen, who they’ve lost. I’ve already been
told by guests numerous times that since their homelessness began they’ve never felt as if
anyone gave them help–until coming to us. One guest had even said they had seen three other
social workers and didn’t feel like they had any more support until they came here.
I think I started to know what community meant to this place after that. It was
everything–it was greeting everyone who walks into our doors with respect, dignity, and a
welcoming atmosphere. It was regular guests who came in just to use our facilities and say hello.
It was staff knowing guests by their name, and not as another number on the list of people who
need services. It was the advocacy meetings held by our staff that offered our guests a way to
voice what they never had the opportunity to.
Our community is our guests. We are the voices and the shoulders they can depend on.
But as always, a community goes both ways. Our guests do so much for us–they teach us,
educate us on what it is like to live their lives, and give us a reason to come to work every day.
Because for a community, I’ve found no greater place of belonging and welcomeness than the
OAC.