Blog Posts

by Austyn Long (Chaplain Intern)

I started working at the OAC as a chaplain intern in September of 2025, and when I think back
over past five months, I can’t think of a better description for this time than “Love in Action”.

Love means many things to many people, but in the OAC, love in action looks like hospitality, and preparing a place for every person to belong.

Hospitality has been woven in, since the first day of my internship. As I walked toward the gate, hoping I had found the right place, many of the guests were already lined up and waiting for the center to open. I asked someone if this was the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center, and shared that it was my first day working. Someone in line responded with a warm welcome, and showed me where the gate was, and told me where I could enter. Each day since, I’ve enjoyed the walk down Washington St., exchanging good mornings and conversation with the guests,
and seeing some more familiar faces as we start the day together.

Right after arriving, I was invited to join the morning circle. Here, staff and volunteers gathered
before beginning the day to share their joys and concerns and pray with and for one another
and the guests. As I heard the things that lifted and weighed on the hearts of the staff and
volunteers, and saw how deeply everyone held one another, again, I could see how much love
filled every corner of this place.

In the months since that first day, and the hundred-plus hours I’ve spent learning from the staff
and volunteers, speaking with and learning from guests, and even getting to see how
organizations throughout Atlanta are collaborating with one another, I’ve seen love in action in
a thousand different ways.

Sometimes, love looks like a conversation filled with so much laughter and connection that the
whole hallway overhears. Other times, it looks like sharing your burdens and finding comfort.
Sometimes, love in action looks like staff members collaborating to quiz a guest on the
citizenship test every time he visits, to help him study. Or, it looks like being recognized at the
door by someone who knows what you’re looking for. Often, love looks like being able to say
‘yes,’ to requests for warm hats, clean socks, shaving kits, or other much needed items, because
of the generosity of people I’ve never met.

A phrase I hear often at the OAC is, “I’m so glad you’re here.” Volunteers say this to guests, and
guests say it back. Staff and volunteers say it to each other on slow and busy days. To me, this is
what it really means to put love into action – to make the OAC a place where everyone belongs,
and where everyone is welcomed warmly, with love.

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.

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.

by Kimberly Parker

At Central Outreach and Advocacy Center, we serve people who are experiencing homelessness or on the verge of being in a homeless situation. Through the services we provide, we hope to assist them in taking steps forward and out of the situation they have found themselves in. Our staff and volunteers do this work each and every day that we are open and they do it well.

There’s another group of people who also serve and help to make sure that Central OAC has what it needs to serve our guests. This is our Board of Directors. Some of them recently shared with me what comes to mind when thinking about what it means to “serve with a purpose.” I enjoyed reading their varied thoughts! I enjoy serving with them even more!

Cortney Rosen … When I hear “Serving With a Purpose”, to me this means focusing my actions on something that is bigger than myself. It’s not just about fulfilling a role or checking the box on a task, it’s about truly aligning my energy and choices with values that matter to me and that positively impact others.

Steven White … When I think about serving with a purpose, a few things come to mind. I believe that it’s about making a positive difference in the lives of those around us. It’s about using our words to uplift and build up, rather than to tear down. I think it’s about leveraging our skills to help others succeed and using our time to be a source of encouragement and support.

In our often-hectic lives, it’s easy to lose sight of this. However, being clear about who we want to be and living by a personal vision statement can be powerful reminders of who we strive to be and the impact we aim to make.

Jim Emshoff … Serving with a purpose means not just helping an individual in the moment, but to start a chain of positive events that will help a person find permanent housing.  It also means acting not only for these individuals, but for the benefit of the larger community, in ways that are consistent with the values of Christianity.  

Melanie Bliss … When I hear the phrase “serving with a purpose,” it reminds me that we at the OAC serve others intentionally and mindfully. We do not do it for our own glorification or to feel good, but to purposefully and thoughtfully create change in others’ lives. I am humbled, grateful, and privileged to be able to serve, and I strive to do so with hope and cheer even when I am painfully aware of the suffering of others. 

Sallie Baskervill … Serving with purpose means keeping the why behind COAC top of mind. It means making a commitment and keeping it. It means showing up to board meetings and to events even when it doesn’t perfectly fit into my schedule. It means serving with intentionality, generosity, and optimism. It means having gratitude and being willing to help those who aren’t as fortunate.

Kevin Pleiss … When I think of ‘Serving With a Purpose’, I think about keeping our guests at the center of everything we do. Whether it’s providing support for someone facing housing insecurity or helping remove barriers like lack of ID or job skills, our work is rooted in dignity and hope. Serving in this way allows us to be part of transforming individual lives and strengthening our community as a whole.

Jeff Hilimire … “Serving with a Purpose” is what life is all about. I believe finding your purpose is one of the most important things a person can do…but just finding your purpose isn’t enough! When you figure out what God put you in this world to do, it then becomes your responsibility to find ways to use your gifts and skills (or as I call them, your ‘superpowers’) toward that purpose, which is why my time on the Central OAC board was so significant to my life.

Do you serve with a purpose? If not, maybe this blog will encourage you to seek out a way in which to do so. It will truly make a difference in the lives of other people!