THE PILOT INITIATIVE
Oct. 2024 - Mar. 2025
The Kirkwood HELPS Pilot Initiative "got the ball rolling" and served as a "bridge" to the publicly funded program that followed. Kirkwood HELPS hired a social services case manager during the pilot initiative to provide services one day per week from the Kirkwood HELPS Support Center situated at Kirkwood United Church of Christ (KUCC). The Pilot had the following objectives: 1) get help to those in need sooner; 2) collect intel and generate success stories that could advance the initiative objectives and build momentum; 3) complement and inform the larger “Unhoused Initiative” that was being structured by the City of Atlanta and Intown Cares; 4) serve as “model” for other neighborhood initiatives; and, 5) demonstrate that “less can be more,” (i.e., keep it simple with minimal bureaucratic red tape, complexities and organizational/operational time delays).
Case Manager Strategy
Kirkwood HELPS contracted an experienced social Case Manager during the 6-month pilot to work with Kirkwood's unhoused neighbors, one-on-one, in an effort to build trust, identify priority needs and help overcome barriers. This helped pave the way for the follow-on case managers provided by Intown-Cares who now work with Kirkwood's chronically homeless neighbors.
Kirkwood HELPS Neighborhood-Embeded
Support Center
Kirkwood HELPS operates in partnership with Kirkwood United Church of Christ (KUCC) from the church's sanctuary every Wednesday between 10 am and 2 pm. We provide compassion, respite space, boxed lunches for walk-ins and outreach, water, snacks, emegency groceries, emergency financial support, 4-restrooms, hygiene supplies, on-site manager, case manager appointment coordination and office space for Intown-Cares' Case Managers, Our goal is to help Kirkwood's underserved and under-resourced seeking assistance with obtaining documents, housing, food, clothing, personal care supplies, transportation and emergency financial support as resources allow.