Central Outreach & Advocacy Center

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Fresh Start

by Sarah Zimbardi

A new year brings the opportunity for a fresh start, and the OAC advocacy team is stepping into it with renewed energy and purpose. 2025 was a year of trying new approaches, learning new things, and most importantly, building new connections that will carry our work forward.

Throughout the year, we deepened our engagement with local government, meeting with ten different representatives from the City of Atlanta and Fulton County to push for improved access to public restrooms and summer cooling centers.

We also formed connections with new organizations and renewed relationships with longtime partners, strengthening the network that makes our advocacy possible.

We circulated the OAC’s first petition, asking Mayor Dickens to improve access to public restrooms downtown.  We invited partner organizations to share the petition as well. Together, we collected 923 signatures from downtown Atlanta residents, visitors, churchgoers, and commuters.

We navigated the process of getting an in-person meeting with representatives from the Mayor’s Office – a meeting that was rescheduled 3 times over the span of two months before we were able to sit down in the Mayor’s cabinet room to discuss public restrooms.  Once again, we leaned on our partnerships, bringing representatives from five other organizations to the table and the support of many others who could not attend. 

We also started a quarterly guest advocacy meeting.  These gatherings have allowed us to share information about downtown changes affecting the unhoused community ahead of the World Cup, hear directly from guests about the barriers they face, and gather input on where new public restrooms should be located. Most importantly, these meetings have given us time to sit together, share a meal, and listen without an agenda beyond connection.

Throughout all of these efforts, we’ve been reminded of the importance of patience, persistence, and connecting with others. Trying to advocate in a silo is like yelling into the wind. As we move forward into this new year, we will work to maintain strong partnerships and create new ones, so that together we can advocate for the City and County to make positive changes for us all.

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A Season For All

by Kandice Dinkins, Georgia State University Intern

As I reflect on what a “Season For All” means, I think about exactly what this means to the guests we serve daily at the COAC. I plan to give each guest the gift of inclusiveness and support that can empower them to get through their challenging time with a lighter heart and a mind that is at ease. Regardless of their circumstances, they know our Center is dedicated to helping them with their essential resources such as IDs, birth certificates, social security cards etc. We know that this access is critical to helping them with stable housing, employment and additional services that are needed to facilitate them through their challenging times. As I continue my internship with the COAC, I want to continue the Center’s dedication to uplifting spirits, valuing our guests and giving collective support to those in need. As we push through the holidays, let’s all think of “A Season For All” as a time to embrace each moment as an opportunity to make a difference and contribute to a brighter future for those experiencing homelessness. Showing compassion, patience, and empathy gives us the power of advocacy and gives a positive impact for those we serve. With that said, let’s make this “Season For All” an unforgettable one for our guests.

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Grateful

by Bella Ragone, Georgia State University Intern

As we near the end of the year and reflect on what we have accomplished, what lies ahead, and what we are grateful for, I find myself thinking most about my time spent at the OAC. Although I have only served as a student intern for two months, I have learned and experienced so much alongside fellow students, dedicated volunteers and staff, and our incredible guests. Everyone involved at the OAC at every level has already made an incredible impact on my own personal journey.

 

During one of my first weeks as an intern, I had the pleasure of attending the birthday party of a regular guest who had recently got her own apartment. During this celebration, I got to know this guest better and was shown the fruits of all the hard work that OAC staff and the guest put in to accomplishing this goal together. For many of our guests, this goal seems a long ways away, but I remind them in my small intake room that they showed up and are doing the work to get themselves there. As much as I hear guests thanking us for providing services, we are also thanking and celebrating them for showing up and working towards our common goal of overcoming and preventing homelessness. I’m excited when I can recognize guests that I have worked with who return to pick up their IDs and take their next steps. It warms my heart to get to know them, share laughs, and see their progress despite all the challenges thrown their way.

 

This year, I am grateful that I get the opportunity to build community amongst my neighbors and play a role in maximizing the potential of every guest that seeks services at the OAC. I think we should all be looking for ways to connect with our communities and make a difference in the lives of those we share this city with. The threats of winter weather, unstable housing, and food insecurity loom in the coming months. As we close out the year, I encourage everyone with the means to do so to get involved and look for opportunities to strengthen connections with everyone around you. Practicing gratitude has taught me to celebrate all wins, big or small, for myself and for others. Look out for your neighbors and get to know their stories. Celebrate them, and they’ll celebrate you back.

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Turning Over a New Leaf

by Camille Frink

As fall approaches and the leaves begin to change color, it is a reminder of the potential for change in us all. Everyday at Central OAC, we see examples of our guests taking steps to turn over a new leaf in their lives–-interviewing for a new job, trying to re-establish relationships with family, entering recovery programs, seeking a fresh start after incarceration. Many of the people who walk through our doors have parts of their past that have created challenges for them, but so many of our guests are doing everything they can, despite what may be in their past, despite the barriers they may face, to move forward and start anew. 

One of my favorite fun facts about nature is that the change in color of leaves in the fall is due to a decreased production of chlorophyll, the green pigment fading away to reveal other pigments in the leaf. Many scientists refer to the bright oranges, reds, and yellows that remain as the leaf’s “true color.”

At the OAC, we regularly witness our guest’s “true colors”–hope, determination, forgiveness, as they try their best, despite so many obstacles, to start fresh and move forward in their lives. Recently, I have worked with two guests who are father and son. The father, Mr. F, is facing many physical health challenges, and his son, Mr. J, looks out for him, keeping track of his health and asking for help for him when needed. I have never seen one of them without the other being nearby, and it is clear how much they rely on each other. While I don’t know what events in their past led them to their current circumstances, the love and care they have for each other is apparent.

Every day, I am reminded that though our circumstances are very different, each person in the OAC–staff, volunteers, interns, and guests–all share a commonality. We are all of us, despite our circumstances and our pasts, human beings who ultimately, at our core, want and hope for a safe, fulfilling life, for a future filled with possibility. These are our true colors.