The mission of Initiative for Affordable Housing, Inc. is to provide permanent, affordable housing for homeless and low-income families. Once a family enters the program and moves into a house or apartment provided by Initiative, has the mission been "accomplished"? That's only the beginning. Early on, Initiative recognized the need and committed to the provision of combined housing and supportive social services…but what does it mean to provide supportive social services?

Initiative believes that the provision of only housing does nothing to prevent the family from becoming homeless again. The social workers at Initiative evaluate each family's situation and the causes of their homelessness in order to help them work on those issues and work toward reaching the family's individual goals. Although there are many housing programs that contract with social service agencies for supportive services, Initiative has been a leader in the Atlanta community by providing those services in-house through experienced social work staff.

There are many reasons for a family or individual to become homeless, including job loss or eviction caused by financial difficulties. Families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population, especially women with children, due to low-incomes, the lack of affordable housing and high childcare costs.

Take a look at the first year in the life of a homeless family at Initiative for Affordable Housing….

A potential program participant is referred from United Way, a shelter program, substance abuse rehab program, or domestic violence program. A staff social worker asks the caller a series of questions to determine if Initiative’s services can help address the caller’s needs, and if the caller meets the criteria, (homeless, employed, free of drugs and alcohol for one year). If so, an appointment is scheduled to meet for more extensive information gathering; if not, the caller is referred to one of many other programs in the metro area that can address their needs.

The social worker who took the initial call meets with the prospective participant and asks for necessary documentation and background information to further evaluate the family's needs. Each family has different issues or causes contributing to their homelessness - loss of job, family illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, lack of budgeting skills or not making enough money to afford permanent housing. The staff social workers are experienced and can help determine the underlying causes of a family's homelessness. They know that a formula for helping one family does not fit all families. Some families only need short-term budget counseling to get back on their feet - others may need long-term supportive services that include stress management, the enhancement or improvement of job skills, parenting skills, life skills and goal-setting. Many families want to work toward homeownership while others prefer working toward permanent rental housing. Based on the family's readiness to participate in a structured, individualized program and the availability of housing, the family is accepted in the Initiative program. Once the family is settled into the home, they begin the first phase of the program.

In the first quarter, a plan of action is created, with the social worker’s help, to outline the family's short and long-term goals, with timelines. This plan may include the implementation of a debt repayment plan to clean up a credit report or getting approval for the food stamp program, or even securing a job in their first 30 days. Progress is measured weekly through visits/interviews with the social worker. At the end of each quarter, the family's goal plan is evaluated and any barriers hindering achievement are identified in order to make adjustments to the overall plan.

During the second quarter, workplace skills are evaluated and appropriate training recommended, if applicable, to improve skills and income level. Other training or counseling may be recommended and provided, if needed - (parenting, household management skills, dressing for success, career assessment, budgeting, individual or family therapy.) Again, weekly and quarterly progress is measured and plans adjusted if necessary.

Still, the mission has not been accomplished - the planning phase for the family is completed during this time and the real work begins. The third quarter's plans are based on the individual family’s progress from the first two quarters and its readiness to begin a savings plan. Continued training and counseling is provided, if necessary, during this quarter and goal plans adjusted accordingly.

A family's fourth quarter, again, depends on the individualized goal plan and progress. If a debt repayment plan is complete, a new budget plan is implemented and the family may begin to look at taking on more responsibility of monthly expenses, (ie. - putting phone service or other utility in family's name.) The family may also begin exploring more permanent affordable housing and/or homeownership options. Depending on the family’s long-term goal, a homeownership plan would be implemented in the second, or even third year and would include home savings plans, low-interest loan opportunities, homebuyers orientation education and post-homebuyer counseling.

Not every family needs to stay in the program long-term; others may need up to three years to reach their goals. The above outline shows the basic first-year program plan but does not detail the many other services that are provided through case management.

It does not indicate the number of times a social worker has taken a woman shopping for clothes to help her fit in at her new place of employment, or the times that someone is employed by Initiative, short-term, while seeking a new job, or the times that a social worker meets with a family, just to talk through a problem. It does not list the many furnishings and household items donated by churches and local supporters that help our families make a house a home. It does show the many steps that lead Initiative to say, “Mission accomplished!”

To read about a few of the hundreds of families who have been helped by Initiative for Affordable Housing, click on families. Their words will answer the question, “What makes Initiative for Affordable Housing unique?” Their achievements and gratitude make it all worthwhile.