🏠 Pillar One · Stability

Every Family Deserves
a Stable Place to Stand

Housing is not just shelter — it is the prerequisite for everything else. Education, employment, health, and family wellbeing all depend on having a stable home. Our Homelessness Prevention program keeps Georgia families housed before crisis becomes catastrophe.

Housing Instability Is the Root of Nearly Every Other Crisis

When a family loses their home — or lives in constant fear of losing it — nothing else in life can function well. Children's grades fall. Parents miss work. Health deteriorates. The ripple effects of housing instability touch every dimension of human wellbeing.

Georgia is home to one of the fastest-growing economies in the nation. Yet for hundreds of thousands of Georgians, that growth has come with rising rents, stagnant wages, and shrinking safety nets. The gap between housing costs and income has widened dramatically since 2020, pushing working families to the brink.

The research is unambiguous: prevention is dramatically more effective — and more cost-efficient — than emergency response. Every dollar spent keeping a family in their home saves an estimated $2,200–$10,000 in shelter, emergency services, and social costs downstream.

"Families who receive homelessness prevention assistance are significantly less likely to experience future housing instability. Stable housing is the single greatest predictor of long-term family self-sufficiency."

— National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2023 State of Homelessness Report

In Georgia specifically, children who experience housing instability are 74% more likely to repeat a grade and twice as likely to experience mental health challenges. Adults in unstable housing are far less likely to maintain employment or access healthcare — creating cycles that repeat across generations.

180K+
Georgians experiencing housing instability each year
Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2023
52%
of Georgia renters are cost-burdened, spending 30%+ of income on housing
Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2024
74%
more likely to repeat a grade — children who experience housing instability
Urban Institute, 2022
$1:$9
Prevention spending vs. downstream shelter & services cost ratio
National Alliance to End Homelessness
#8
Georgia ranks 8th in the nation for fastest-growing rent increases — outpacing wage growth for low-income workers by nearly 3:1
Zillow Research & BLS Data, 2024

How We Keep Georgia Families Housed

💵 Emergency Rental Assistance

For families facing immediate eviction risk, time is everything. Our rapid-response grant program provides short-term rental assistance within 72 hours of application — keeping families in their homes while longer-term plans are put in place.

  • One-time and short-term assistance grants
  • 72-hour disbursement for crisis cases
  • Paired with case management to address root causes
  • Available to Georgia households earning up to 80% AMI

⚖️ Legal Advocacy & Eviction Defense

Many evictions are preventable — and many are illegal. We connect at-risk tenants with legal counsel, help them understand their rights, and represent families facing wrongful or unjust eviction proceedings.

  • Free legal consultations for qualifying families
  • Eviction court representation and mediation
  • Know-your-rights education and workshops
  • Landlord negotiation and payment plan facilitation

🤝 Case Management & Wraparound Support

Housing crises rarely have a single cause. Our certified case managers work one-on-one with families to identify the full constellation of needs — benefits access, job support, childcare, healthcare — and connect them to resources.

  • Dedicated case manager assigned within 48 hours
  • Personalized stability plan developed collaboratively
  • Connection to benefits, food, and healthcare resources
  • 90-day follow-up support post-stabilization

🏘️ Community Landlord Partnership Program

Sustainable housing requires landlord buy-in. We build relationships with property owners across Georgia who commit to fair leasing practices, early intervention rather than immediate eviction, and tenant stabilization support.

  • Landlord education and incentive program
  • Vacancy risk reduction for participating owners
  • Mediation services for tenant-landlord disputes
  • Growing network of mission-aligned housing providers

Help Us Keep Georgia Families Housed

A single donation can cover a family's rent for a month — buying them the time and stability to get back on their feet for good.

Support This Program