Our mission is simple. We provide housing opportunities for individuals and families in need of physical, emotional, and spiritual support as they work to return to the community as productive members.
We have been a vital part of our community for a number of years.
Shelter History
The Good Neighbor Homeless Shelter received its first guests on February 2, 1996 on the night of the season’s first ice storm. The current 4600 square foot facility with capacity for 30 guests was made possible by a grant from a local foundation that approached the Board of Directors about expanding the program. The shelter is staffed 24 hours a day and provides structure and accountability for our guests. Many visitors are surprised how homelike the building feels, due in large part to the fact that our guests help with daily chores to keep the facility clean.
In February 2020, we opened our second emergency shelter. This shelter houses 17 single men and is very close to our first shelter location. At our shelters, we provide emergency shelter beds for men, women, and families. Guests must find a job within two weeks of their arrival. They may stay a maximum of twelve weeks while they make a budget and complete goals to support independence when they leave.
Outreach Program
In 2017 we began to offer outreach services in our community to individuals living unsheltered across Bartow. We now have staff members that can be reached 24 hours a day to provide mobile services and go out and visit neighbors in need. Ultimately our goal with this program, as with all our services, is to help connect people to permanent housing solutions. If you know or find someone living unsheltered, please call the shelter anytime and they can give contact information to reach out to one of our outreach staff members.
Transitional Housing
In 2013 our organization opened its first three units of Transitional Housing, and by the beginning of 2018 we had 13 units-all single-family homes for families with children. Families in this program are not only working as they would be at our shelter facility; they are also required to be enrolled in postsecondary education. Most of our families have a parent who is back in school as a nontraditional college student either at Chattahoochee Technical College or Georgia Highlands College. Families in this program may participate for up to two years while they work to complete a certificate or diploma program at a local community college. We also help steward savings accounts for all these families. Through a Community Block Grant with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, we own eight homes debt free and rent several others.
We have continued to grow with the help of our donors and volunteers that make our mission possible. Through all these years our purpose still remains the same: being good neighbors to those who are experiencing homelessness.
