Learn More About Homelessness
There are always two sides to every story. What seems to be logical and obvious, may not pan out to be true. But misunderstanding, misperceptions and unfair judgment over time begin to accepted as facts. Simple answers rarely address core problems, just the symptoms.
Rainbow Village wants to share facts in response to the common myths we hear about homelessness. Please share these facts with friends and family so everyone can better understand and learn how together we can help families break the cycle of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence and transform lives for generations to come.
Here are some resources for homelessness
Did You Know?
The fastest growing group of homeless people is children under 9
Most homeless families with children are headed by single mothers who work at below-poverty earning levels or are fleeing domestic violence.
Up to 60% of homeless heads-of-household are employed.
A person working full-time earning minimum wage in Metro-Atlanta does not earn enough to rent a 2-bedroom apartment.
40% of jobs with growth between 1994 and 2005 paid less than $16,000 per year.
Homelessness and poverty are often legacies that recur in families generation after generation.
Myth #1: Homelessness is an inner city issue. There are no homeless people in suburban areas.
Just because we don’t seem homeless people in the streets and begging on every corner, doesn’t mean suburban homelessness doesn’t exist. The tragedy of homelessness lies as much in what we don’t see as much as what we do.
There were 24,225 evictions and 24,000 foreclosures in Gwinnett County according to the most recent records. At the average family size of 2.5 that equals approximately 120,562 family members who lost housing. There is only one small shelter for homeless families in Gwinnett. That means most homeless families are forced to seek shelter from family and friends, find temporary housing in extended stay hotels, live in their cars, or worse.
It is estimated that 60% of the homeless family population in Gwinnett County are children and 50% of the children are under the age of six. The National Center on Family Homelessness reports that 1-in-50 children in America are homeless each year. According to this statistic, Gwinnett County has an estimated 6,000 homeless children each year. In 2016, the Gwinnett School System counted more than 1,943 homeless students. There are many homeless in our community right now who need our help!
Since 1991, Rainbow Village has worked to break the cycle of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence and can attest to the fact that the needs are growing. In 2016, we received more than 3,000 calls for help, most from Gwinnett.
Myth #2: The Majority of Homeless People Are Adults Who Have Made Bad Choices in Life and Are Suffering the Consequences.
In one year, 1.35 million children will experience homelessness in this country and that number is rising. Georgia currently has over 500,000 children living in poverty stricken families, with over 60,000 Georgia children experiencing homelessness each year. Families comprise roughly 34% of the total homeless population with the majority being headed by single mothers.
“…Within a single year, nearly all (97%) homeless children have moved, at least 25% have witnessed violence, and 22% have been separated from their families. About half of all school-age children experiencing homelessness have problems with anxiety and depression. Education is often disrupted and challenges in school are common,” The National Report Card on Homelessness
Homelessness is not just impacting adults! Rainbow Village is the only program offering a comprehensive approach to address the full complement of physical, emotional, financial and education needs of whole families who have suffered the trauma of homelessness. Yes, the habits, choices and life circumstances of adults can result in homelessness, but more often than not, there are cycles and forces working against them that are beyond their control.
Rainbow Village families are willing to work hard, do what it takes and make the necessary changes to create a new way of life, a new start for their families. The Rainbow Village model teaches critical life skills and forms new habits not only for adults but for the children too so that the cycles of homeless don’t pass down to younger generations.
Myth #3: Homeless People Just Need to Get a Job and Take Responsibility for Their Lives.
40-60% of homeless people DO have jobs and more than you’d think have education beyond high school. In a national survey, 87% of homeless families cited lack of affordable housing – not lack of employment – as the primary cause of their homelessness. A solid household budget formula recommends that we pay no more than 30% of our income for housing. The average two-bedroom apartment in Atlanta costs $834 a month, which would require one to have a job that pays almost $35,000 a year to support that rent. Georgia’s minimum wage pays less than half of that figure.
Rainbow Village enters into a covenant with our homeless families to provide transitional homes in which parents and children are able to remain together. In return, heads of those families agree to:
Obtain and maintain employment and reliable transportation
Attend mandatory weekly life skills classes
Ensure their school-aged children attend school and the Rainbow Village after-school programs
Work with assigned case manager to develop individual goals and objectives with respect to financial, family and home management, including a set portion of income toward rent and savings
Work toward educational milestones needed for career advancement, job security and increased earning potential.
Rainbow Village residents take full responsibility for their circumstances and chart a new course that puts them on the road to self-sufficiency and success.
Myth #4: Homelessness, Poverty and Domestic Violence Are All Separate Issues.
Domestic Violence is the second most frequently stated cause of homelessness for families. One-half of homeless women and children have fled domestic violence. 92% of homeless mothers have experienced severe abuse and left their homes to save themselves and their children from abusers. School-age children of homeless families shift from school-to-school as the family migrates, greatly impacting their ability to learn and gain an education that will be a solid foundation for their adult lives.
The current high school graduation rate for homeless children in the state of Georgia is less than 25%. By the age of 12, 83% of homeless children have witnessed at least one violent event. All humans need a safe place to sleep, enough food to eat and the nourishment of human support and affection in systems of permanence that do not threaten abandonment at every turn. In other words, everyone needs a sense of home and family.
The blight of homelessness breaks up families. Poverty and domestic violence often complicate an already complex issue, destroying hope for a better future. To make matters worse, as a consequence of that hopelessness, intrinsic motivation to exert the effort required to rebuild lives is lost as well. The process of homelessness happens when assurance that physical needs of shelter, clothing, and food will be met is lost and emotional and social support systems fail as well and confidence in our abilities to stand on our own disappears.
Rainbow Village recognizes that all of these issues go hand-in-hand and create cycles of brokenness, hopelessness and destruction that affects not only lives now but lives in these families for generations to come. Rainbow Village’s holistic model breaks these cycle and offers promise for a new life.
Myth #5: The Government Will Handle This. I Can’t Do Anything to Impact the Issue of Homelessness – It’s Just Too Big.
Our governments can and do play a part in the battle – Rainbow Village and other nonprofits serving homeless populations receive some financial support from federal, state and county grants;however, breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence requires much more.
Rainbow Village residents need us to believe in them, encourage them, educate them and share our time, talents and treasure to help them get back on their feet. We are their hope. We are their promise for a new tomorrow. Stability, safety, life-skills training, academic tutoring for children who’ve fallen behind, emotional support and dedicated and caring people – in a word, community – is what’s needed to help our residents find sure a footing again and rebuild their lives. Rainbow Village, through our board, staff and hundreds of cherished volunteers and donors have made it so for more than 25 years.
Rainbow Village has successfully helped over 1200 individuals complete their transitional housing program and go on to stand on their own again, strong with great promise for better tomorrows.
We need your help!
Volunteer
Rainbow Village is committed to making sure our volunteers are well-trained and oriented to our work before we put you into action. Our Community Engagement staff coordinates internally with staff to provide a seamless and rewarding experience for our volunteers.
Donate
Our village has grown, from accommodating 18 to 30 families! Please join us in serving these 30 families by making a tax-deductible donation to help maintain the high-quality program that has transformed more than 1,000 lives since 1991.
Partner with Us
Since 1991, Rainbow Village’s numerous, long-standing collaborative partnerships with civic clubs and community organizations, faith-based groups and companies of all sizes have yielded the volunteer power and program support necessary to provide the full complement of services necessary for families to break the cycle of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence.
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