Central Outreach & Advocacy Center

Central OAC

By

It’s Not About the Numbers


by Ahren Cassinari-Foster

As the Main Frame Coordinator, it can be discouraging when class turnout is small.  I recently ran into this issue.  Upon my wife and I’s return from vacation, staff at the OAC profoundly struggled to sign people up for the May Main Frame class.  After two orientation sessions and two weeks of trying we finally got one student!

At first, I was disheartened by the low turnout.  I know there are more people out there on the streets, in our lobby, and staying at emergency shelters who need the services we provide in the Main Frame.  I want them to come and work with us to find employment and begin the journey to self-sufficiency.

I still feel all of those things as we wrap up the second week of Main Frame class.  However, I feel something else as well.  I feel grateful for the one student I do have.  As with so many of the people we see, Mr. A recently became homeless due to a confluence of difficult circumstances.  A few months ago, Mr. A and his wife financially assisted a family member who had fallen sick.  When Mr. A lost his job shortly thereafter, they were unable to absorb the financial blow and were evicted from their apartment.  Despite these significant challenges, Mr. A has been a dedicated and conscientious student and a quick learner.  In his first two weeks of class he has completed a resume, revamped his computer skills, and applied for several jobs, three of which have contacted him for an interview!

It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers.  Numbers are easy to understand, they tell us if we are growing or shrinking, and many other useful things as well.  But what I was missing out on when I was focused on the number of people in the class was the quality of the one person who was actually taking the class.  There may just be one Mr. A in this class, but he is having a full class worth of success.

EDIT: Mr. A got a job!  The week after graduating from Main Frame, Mr. A was hired by a hotel downtown.  Mr. A has worked in hospitality for most of his life, so this is exactly the type of job he hoped to secure!  We are so proud of him and grateful that we were able to help him take steps toward employment.  We are excited that he and his wife are now back on the road to stability.

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What Brings You Back to the OAC Each Day?

Recently, we posed the question “What brings you back to the OAC each day?” to our staff and volunteers.  Because the work that we do here can be taxing and overwhelming, we wondered what about our organization and our work gives staff and volunteers the encouragement to keep coming back.  We received a variety of responses and wanted to share them with you.  Love for our guests and for each other, hope for a future without homelessness, and a deep desire to serve others dominated responses.  We are grateful to work with such an inspirational team!

Brenna Lakeson (Program Assistant)

There are a variety of things that bring me back to the COAC every day.  First, our coworkers and volunteers.  Every day, I feel loved and supported by my fellow outreach advocates.  Second, I know that the work we do is important.  Our guests need someone who will work with them one on one and who will advocate for them.  Their individual needs combined with societal marginalization drives my desire to serve them in the best way possible.  Lastly, redemptive stories of guests who have overcome situations of homelessness inspire me to be here each day.  Time and time again, we see how having ID or access to medical care can really change someone’s circumstances.  Often, guests come back to thank us for being there for them when no one else was.  I hope that this sort of stability can happen for all of our guests, and their gratitude inspires me to come to work each day ready to serve.

 

Ahren Foster (Main Frame Job Readiness Coordinator)

This may sound cliche or naive, but I believe that hope brings me back.  Every day I meet people who are trying, sometimes against all odds, to improve their lives in both small and large ways by getting medical care, a state ID, or some help with emergency food for the month. It is a wonderful feeling to both offer hope in the form of resources and to see hope begin to kindle in the eyes of a guest who has not had much to hope for in a while.  That is why I keep coming back.

 

April Campbell (Program Director)

The OAC is a place that values everyone who walks through the doors. This means that every guest that receives services is treated with respect and dignity and that every volunteer and staff member is consistently told how much they are appreciated.  Finding an environment that fosters so much hope, encouragement, and self-sufficiency has been such an amazing experience. Every morning I wake up excited to come do the work that we do. The other day a guest stated that the OAC is “heaven sent”; another guest stated that he would not know where to turn if the OAC was not here. Interactions like these are what inspire the work that we do. Our guests are our drive, for without them we would not be here. I am continuously amazed at their resiliency and I find myself learning something new about the human spirit and different ways to advocate for the individuals that I meet every day. So, why do I come back to the OAC every day? It is because I enjoy the work that I do, I enjoy my team, I believe in our services and our mission, and I enjoy working with the guests who come through our doors.

 

Charles Cantrell (Front Desk Volunteer)

–  A sense of community and worthwhile/common cause.

–  Slowly learning what the Biblical imperative of “service” actually means.

–  Observing Guests, who have so little, demonstrate faith, hope, patience, persistence, determination, courage, wisdom, even good humor.

 

Charlotte Holland (Art Volunteer)

I keep coming back to OAC for the Prayer Circle with such a wonderful, compassionate staff. I also come back for the peace and understanding that I find in our Art Circle with my regular “boys” and with all the others who pass through from time to time.  Each one accepting of the other in so many ways.  And I learn a lot from Mark, my cohort, each and every Thursday.  I am grateful to have found OAC.

 

Ann Hunter (Intake, Front Desk, and Social Work Volunteer)

I come back to the OAC each week because Christ calls me to “show up!” And it never occurs to me not to come back. I am so blessed by the men and women who share their deepest hurts and their fondest hopes as we work together to find their way out of homelessness. I also am grateful for the opportunity to share my particular gifts as a social worker, supervising social work students at the OAC. It’s sort of like a matching gift program – MSW students need a social work supervisor and together we are able to double our work with guests.

 

If you’re encouraged by these responses and want to become a part of the OAC team, please email April Campbell at [email protected] or call (404) 601-3173 for more information on how to get plugged in as a volunteer!

 

 

 

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Finding Grace in the Desert

by Bri Reid

Central Outreach & Advocacy Center is an oasis of opportunities for many of our guests. Each day we encounter guests who are experiencing a desert-like moment. A desert can be described as a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. Many of our guests experience desert-like moments just as all of us do: loss of family member/friend, unemployment, an unfavorable doctor’s report, or the stress of paying bills.

When guests come into the Central OAC for services they are often experiencing a “desert” moment. Sometimes, our guests have even been turned away by other agencies, and we are their last hope. They are frustrated and exhausted from traveling by foot and transit to reach our doors.

One of our guests, Adam Barley*, came into my office for services recently. While sitting in my office, he shared his desert moment with me. Three years ago, Mr. Barley’s mother died of cancer. His mother worked for the Atlanta City School District for 30-plus years. As a graduate from Morehouse College with a degree in Business Administration, Mr. Barley worked as an accountant immediately after graduating from college. He owned his own home, a car, and even a motorcycle. Once Mr. Barley’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, however, he moved-in with her to assist her with day-to-day activities. He cared for her until the day she passed away. Mr. Barley said, “Ms. Reid, this is not the life I imagined for myself. I am college graduate. I would have never thought I’d be homeless.” I do not believe any person foresees themselves experiencing homeless, much less someone who had the stability that Mr. Barley had before his mother’s death.

After providing Mr. Barley with food referrals and an ID voucher he said, “Thank you Ms. Reid for listening to my story. I haven’t spoken about my mother since she passed away three years ago. Thank you for allowing me to get all this stuff off my chest.”

Central OAC creates space for guests to not only receive services, but experience moments of refreshment. Many of our guests share stories of loss and pain; however, just being a listening ear can impact their lives indefinitely. Our organization strives to provide an oasis of opportunities for people experiencing desert-like moments, people like Mr. Barley.  

 

*name changed for confidentiality

 

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Central ArtWorks

 

Each Monday and Thursday, volunteers and guests gather in our art room to create together.  Some guests choose to paint or draw.  Some work on ongoing projects – a series of sketches or an evolving sculpture.  Some sit in the corner, a bit removed from the group, making art out of words or abstract lines on a scrap sheet of paper.  However our guests choose to be creative, we are joyful and privileged to provide Central ArtWorks as a safe space for them.  Many guests over the years have been a part of ArtWorks – some come to our center once, draw a picture, and never come back to receive services again.  Others come again and again to rest and create.

Drew (name changed) is one such guest.  Drew is currently experiencing homelessness and has been for some time.  He is quiet, reserved, and soft spoken.  But he is an artist at heart.  Drew has participated in our Central ArtWorks fundraiser since its conception, and has even drawn some pictures of our executive director’s dogs to hang in her house.  Drew’s artistic talent is incredible, and we are blessed each week to watch him create breathtaking art in our center.

Evan (name changed) is another guest that has been a long-time participant in Central ArtWorks.  Evan first came to COAC to get an ID.  He was experiencing homelessness and needed help getting back on his feet.  Evan is now stably housed, but continues to come back each Thursday to make art with us.  It’s impossible to walk through the art room without Evan saying hi to you, smiling ear to ear, and proudly displaying his art.

Our guests are not the only ones who are profoundly affected by Central ArtWorks.  Our dedicated volunteer, Mark Smith, reflects on his time making art with our guests in these words:

“Coming into the OAC every Thursday begins a travel in time for me. But unlike travel going forward or back to other times, it’s travel into the moment, into what this day is and is going to be.  That’s what I come for each week. My excursion from wherever I was into something that might be or might not be. We don’t need a result, product, or solution. I won’t know what’s happening until the doors open.

This freshness, this requirement to get ready but not prepare is my antidote to the workings of my own life, to the steady rhythm under my thoughts. Just as we offer our guests, the class is a special space for us all – a room without an agenda. Where we’re free but contained in the world we want to imagine, playing the way our skills suggest or listening to what it is we hear.

When asked about the class I host, I fumble with possible responses. I could say it’s a service I’m part of, or I’m trying to right what’s wonky or be a brother, all probably involved. In truth, though, it’s enough to be there when barriers fall, when smiles flare or tears of tiredness dry.”

At Central OAC, we are always striving to break barriers and provide rest for some of the people who need it the most.  Central ArtWorks is only a piece of what we have to offer our guests, and the stories of Evan and Drew are only a couple out of hundreds.  We would love for you to be a part of this story, too.  And you can be, by joining us for Central ArtWorks: Art Opens Windows one week from today!  This annual fundraiser showcases the art of our guests and raises money for the crucial services we provide.  To buy your ticket today, click here.  For more information about the event, take a look at our Facebook page.  We hope to see you there!