See Beautiful Grant Applicant: Restoration Atlanta

The feature below is brought to you by Restoration Atlanta, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here.
 
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here. 

 
Restoration Atlanta (RATL) has a mission to strengthen and equip under-resourced families to experience holistic restoration. The Restoration Atlanta Summer Camp and After School Programs provide students transitioning out of homelessness, and low-income students, with the opportunity to maintain a high level of academic achievement equivalent to children in permanent housing. The RATL programs were created to allow mothers to gain and maintain meaningful employment. RATL serves to provide no-cost childcare to low-income and homeless families. Our programs have the unique ability to provide up to 60 children from under-resourced families with a loving, safe, and structured environment during summer and after school hours. Concurrently, mothers who are experiencing homelessness and are utilizing RATL Programs participate in a 6-month empowerment program that leads to family stability and self-sustainability in the areas of housing and employment.

RATL “Sees beautiful” by meeting families where they are, coming alongside them, and empowering them to reach their full potential. RATL was built on the premise that “Being with is more transformative than doing for.” This is meant to embody the idea that while providing resources is valuable, relationships are even more valuable. RATL recognizes that families may be experiencing homelessness for a myriad of reasons. We recognize that when they arrive at a shelter, they have likely already been on a long, arduous journey. Our goal is to be a breath of fresh air, and to “Be with” the families that we come in contact with.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, children experiencing homelessness have higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems, an increased risk of serious health problems, and have lower academic performance. A study done by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network shows homeless children have twice the rate of learning disabilities and three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems of non-homeless children. By the time children experiencing homelessness are eight years old, one in three has a major mental disorder. Most of the stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by homeless children is caused by the uncertainty in their lives. 

While the work RATL does with education is important for the future of these children, it is also important to recognize that giving children a consistent, stable space where they feel safe and loved matters for their physical and mental well-being. RATL’s staff members are trained on trauma-informed practices, enabling them to recognize and respond to the signs of trauma in the individuals and families they serve. In addition to being prepared to address specific trauma symptoms, RATL’s staff creates safe and supportive environments by modeling prosocial behavior and skills, maintaining clear and consistent boundaries, and delivering services in a nonjudgmental and respectful manner.

RATL has the opportunity to transform lives through having a relational and programmatic impact. This testimony from a RATL mother speaks to the power of healthy community:

Jasmine and her four children were living in an apartment, until the apartment complex was condemned due to mold. Forced from their home, they found temporary housing at a local shelter. When Jasmine arrived, she was grateful to find that her children would be cared for by the RATL team. They got involved in the daily after school activities, receiving individual attention. We offered friendship, help with school work and a safe space for the children to learn and grow. Meanwhile, Jasmine quickly gained employment and was able to focus on retaining her job. While her children received quality care, Jasmine was also able to get involved in RATL Women’s Programs and develop a healthy friendship with a RATL mentor - someone who had previously walked the journey of homelessness as a single mother of two. “RATL has played a huge role in our lives,” Jasmine said. “My children have grown at RATL and feel a special bond to it. My family is so blessed to be a part of RATL.” Jasmine has been able to keep her job and sustain an apartment for one year. The RATL team continues to stay connected with Jasmine and her family through RATL Women’s Programs, and her children continue to attend RATL Programs.

 We See Beautiful in the journey through homelessness and beyond. Friendships with families far outlast their time spent in a homeless shelter; we continue to stay connected with families as they move forward in life, reaching their full potential as individuals and as a family.

When we welcome children into our programs, we also welcome the family as a whole. We “See beautiful” in each individual and in each family as a unit. We empower them through care, resources, and friendship. Each person that RATL has the opportunity to serve is beautiful, and we are honored to be a part of the journey of helping them discover that for themselves.

Submitted by: Anna Jackson