Atlanta - Homelessness

This morning we prepared for our routine as usual, six of us went to The Edge and four of us helped out at Cafe 458. We were greeted with the delightful surprise of showcase day at The Edge – a short talent show where soon to be graduates of the Atlanta Center for Self-Sufficiency’s (ACSS) career preparation class performed their own specific talents. The cafeteria was transformed into a stage, complete with a podium and a projector for a PowerPoint presentation from the staff members talking about why artistic expression is an important release during times of stress. One student read a poem by Maya Angelou, another student sang a few of his original songs, another wrote and performed in a skit and another put on a fashion show but the them ran clear throughout the morning – self empowerment. It was really empowering to see a group of individuals that just four weeks ago had come to ACSS hopeless and homeless with such a positive outlook on life and healthy self-esteem.
After that, we returned to our usual duties: manning the computer lab, front desk, clothes closet and of course the odd jobs around the office. At 11:30 AM we all met up in the kitchen to help distribute lunch. Lunch is only available to those who have a meal ticket and it’s really heartbreaking to see people who are obviously hungry get turned away for food. It is the single hardest thing we have had to experience thus far. Funding simply isn’t sufficient, the supply does not meet the demand, this is why fundraising and donations are so important, maybe the 5 extra bucks we keep in our wallet could help feed that person that got turned away today at the cafeteria.

The highlight of the day was definitely when the homeless man that volunteers at The Edge and has been our volunteer coordinator throughout the week announced that he had finally landed a job interview for tomorrow! He personally thanked Christine who had helped him fill out his job application just on Monday. He called us his favorite volunteer group, although Christine is his lucky charm. His smile, excitement and happiness was contagious and we wish him the best of luck for tomorrow!

In the afternoon we returned to the Emmaus House to hang out with our little friends in the after-school program here. The kids have come to accept us more and more as the week goes by – kids that were hostile and uncooperative on Monday received us today with open arms and let us in on their little secrets. We play games such as school, and Candyland and today we were even lucky enough to have a personal serenade by one of the children, Shunita, when one of the participants, Ashley, pulled up a Justin Beiber video on her phone. Justin Beiber is, surprisingly, a crowd favorite at the Emmaus House.