Life is hard for families experiencing homelessness with children. With limited shelters for families in the Chattahoochee Valley, parents run the risk of being separated from their children when facing dire financial hardships. The Salvation Army of the Chattahoochee Valley plans to break ground on the new Center of Hope on March 5, 2024, to help by providing a facility with 17 apartments for families with children, designed to help them be self-sufficient while they’re here. The Center of Hope will be located at 1718 2nd Avenue in Columbus, Georgia.

The Salvation Army of the Chattahoochee Valley has been serving the community since 1895, providing shelter, food, clothing, and other assistance to those in need.

The Center of Hope apartments will provide a comfortable and dignified place for families to live while they receive support from the Salvation Army. Each apartment will have a kitchenette, a living room, and a bedroom, with different sizes to accommodate different types of families. There will be reserved areas for single fathers and single mothers, respectively, as well as larger units for families with more than four children.

Andre Pereira, the director of the Salvation Army in the Chattahoochee Valley, said, “The Center of Hope will give dignity back to families with a stable place to live and not be separated from each other. We want to break the cycle of poverty and help them be self-sufficient while they’re here” (Interview, February 28, 2024).

The Salvation Army will additionally provide a variety of resources and services to help clients with their health care, increasing job skills, and other needs they may have. These include case management, life skills classes, counseling, spiritual guidance, transportation assistance, and referrals to other agencies.

The Center of Hope will address a critical need in the Chattahoochee Valley, where more children are experiencing homelessness. According to the Georgia Department of Education, there were 1,547 homeless students in Muscogee County in the 2020-2021 school year, an increase of 18% from the previous year (Report, January 15, 2024). Many of these students and their families face challenges such as hunger, health issues, academic struggles, and emotional trauma.

The Salvation Army of the Chattahoochee Valley hopes that the Center of Hope will make a positive difference in the lives of these families and the community. Pereira said, “The Center of Hope is a dream come true and I am grateful for the support from the donors, volunteers, and partners who made it possible” (Press Release, February 27, 2024).

The Salvation Army of the Chattahoochee Valley makes a difference in the community by providing a compassionate and practical solution for families experiencing homelessness with children. The new Center of Hope will offer a comfortable and dignified place for families to live while they receive support from the Salvation Army. It will also offer a variety of resources and services to help clients with their health care, increasing job skills, and other needs they may have. The Center of Hope will address a critical need in the Chattahoochee Valley, where more children are experiencing homelessness. The groundbreaking ceremony will be on March 5, 2024, at 1718 2nd Avenue in Columbus, Georgia.

If you want to learn more about the Salvation Army of the Chattahoochee Valley and their Center of Hope, you can visit their website, salvationarmycolumbusga.org. You can also get involved or support this initiative by donating, volunteering, or spreading the word. Together, we can help families in need find hope and stability.