Since 2005, Gateway Center (GWC) has served as one of Atlanta's leading partners in the provision of housing and support services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. GWC continues to serve as a central point of access to the housing continuum for those experiencing homelessness in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County.
GWC provides 482 shelter program beds for men who are actively working to end their homelessness. In addition, Gateway Center's programs are ... Read More
Since 2005, Gateway Center (GWC) has served as one of Atlanta's leading partners in the provision of housing and support services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. GWC continues to serve as a central point of access to the housing continuum for those experiencing homelessness in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County.
GWC provides 482 shelter program beds for men who are actively working to end their homelessness. In addition, Gateway Center's programs are designed to address the underlying reasons for their homelessness, such as unemployment, behavioral health, housing affordability, and/or medical conditions. We provide a trauma informed and guest-centered environment where individuals can receive the tools they need to end their homelessness and achieve self-sufficiency. Guests participate in case managed programs designed to meet their needs, including mental health support, substance abuse counseling, and job readiness/skills training/assistance with finding sustainable employment. To ensure the alignment of our services, we focus our efforts on our Five Keys to Success: (1) Housing Placement & Stability, (2) Job Skills Training & Placement, (3) Adult & Financial Literacy, (4) Health & Wellness, and (5) Family & Community Engagement.
Our Engagement Center serves as a resource center during the day and an emergency response center under special circumstances. While permanent housing is the end-goal for individuals experiencing homelessness, basic humane services are critical to the initial efforts in building relationships and meeting immediate needs. These services and resources include access to restrooms, showers, storage lockers, telephones, cell phone charging stations, clothing, laundry, hygiene supplies, health services (physical and behavioral health), and referral services including ID assistance and employment resources.
Residential Programs utilize Critical Time Intervention and Housing First models, and guests in our residential programs receive intensive case management services. The goal of the residential programs is to first stabilize housing for those individuals who have been experiencing homelessness. After housing is stabilized, Case Managers work with guests to develop client centered goals utilizing an Individual Service Plan (ISP), which includes interventions regarding housing resources, counseling, medical care, Veteran services and job placement. Guests reside in short term emergency beds (90 -180 days). Ultimately, each Case Manager works with guests to ensure that they have the support needed to become self-sufficient. GWC provides 382 beds of housing at our 275 Pryor St. location and an additional 100 beds at our low-barrier shelter program The Evolution Center located at 1135 Jefferson St.
Gateway Center serves as one of the coordinated access points for the City of Atlanta and Fulton County which connects men, women, and families with the most appropriate housing resources to assist them in ending their homelessness. Gateway Center provides over 200 individuals a month who are experiencing homelessness in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County with access to housing assessments, emergency shelter placements, and linkage to long-term housing placement options available through the Housing Queue. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has required all Continuums of Care (CoCs) nationally to develop and implement a Coordinated Access System for all CoC and ESG (Emergency Solutions Grant) funded programs. Research has shown that the coordinated access system is an effective model to aid communities in quickly and efficiently making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. Assessors utilize the Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization and Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT). The VI-SPDAT is an assessment tool that prioritizes individuals who have the most severe needs and ensures linkages to the best housing options available.
Our Career Resource Center was launched in 2016 to address our guests’ needs for job readiness and employment placement. Long-lasting unemployment, underemployment, and low wages relative to rent are often causes of homelessness and burden millions of families with risk of homelessness. Individuals experiencing homelessness face obstacles in finding and maintaining employment. Our Career Services Manager coordinates/facilitates employment coaching, resume building, career search strategies, interview preparation, marketable skills training programs, and job placement. In addition, the Career Services Manager provides guests guidance in obtaining a livable wage, increasing financial literacy, and improving the use of technology that assists with exploring employment opportunities. Using innovative training/technical assistance strategies, the Career Services Manager addresses employability, promotes a cohesive service/support system that encourages and enhances employment opportunities for over 100 men each month. Finally, our Job Readiness Programs are operated through our Career Resource Center. These programs offer our guests the necessary support that will prepare them for employment opportunities by providing marketable job skills training programs, including culinary arts, security, customer service, maintenance, floor care, and custodial services.
Behavioral Health services are provided onsite and address both substance abuse and mental health services. By linking formerly homeless individuals with housing, case management, behavioral health services (substance abuse and mental health), and medical care, Gateway Center’s programs support our guests in becoming stably housed, sustaining their sobriety, and improving health outcomes. GWC currently utilizes the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Level 2.1 program model with a residential component to assist the men in understanding the effects of their addiction. In addition, our Behavioral Health Specialist works with guests in both individual and group settings utilizing Mindfulness and Trauma Informed Care models to improve the mental health and decrease the impact of trauma on our guests.
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