At Our House, we provide a pathway to stability and independence for families experiencing homelessness through access to health care, early childhood education, housing, and employment. Our interrelated programs address the root causes of homelessness and ensure every family that leaves Our House has the tools needed to achieve lasting self-sufficiency.
Our Mission
To provide transformative care to end the cycle of homelessness for families.
Our Vision
A self-sufficient and healthy family for all.
History
History of Our House
Our House opened its doors in March 1988 to offer reliable, free childcare to metro Atlanta families experiencing homelessness. The founders, a group of local community volunteers along with Reverend Joanna Adams, took notice that families experiencing homelessness were required to leave emergency shelters early every morning—despite the weather conditions, despite the health status of all family members, and regardless of whether or not they had anywhere to go. The parents of these families, mostly single mothers, were given a relatively short amount of time to secure both employment and other housing before being required to permanently leave their shelters. Moved by this hardship, the founders realized that without reliable childcare, these parents were trapped in the cycle of unemployment, poverty, and homelessness.
Our House founders also understood that to effectively combat homelessness, programs and services had to address the root causes of homelessness: lack of child care, lack of education, and lack of work skills among parents experiencing homelessness.
Our House grew to meet these needs by offering year-round, free childcare; comprehensive support services for families; and a credential-earning job-training program.
History of Genesis Shelter
Genesis Shelter was founded in 1994 in response to an alarming upward trend in the number of new mothers leaving hospitals with their newborn babies, only to live in their cars or on the streets. Co-founders Rabbi Alvin Sugarman and Reverend Joanna Adams brought together a coalition of sixteen faith-based organizations who shared a collective mission to combat homelessness in metro Atlanta. Together, they formed Genesis Shelter, to serve these homeless newborns and their mothers.
Genesis opened its doors in 1994 in a facility provided by The Temple and provided services there for ten years. In 2004, recognizing the need to expand its capacity, Genesis relocated to the shelter’s current site at 173 Boulevard, a 76-bed facility with the daily capacity to serve 18 infants and their families. In 20 years of operations, Genesis provided life-transforming services to more than 3,000 people.
In 2014, Our House and Genesis Shelter merged to become one organization, serving families experiencing homelessness at two sites under the name and executive leadership of Our House. As a unified organization, we carry the legacy of an exceptional early childhood education center and emergency shelter.
History of Community Advanced Practice Nurses (CAPN)
CAPN was founded by Nurse Practitioners in 1998 as a free healthcare clinic to serve women and children experiencing homelessness. CAPN has always been on the forefront of finding innovative solutions to meet the unique healthcare needs of families experiencing homelessness. From the beginning, CAPN’s founders realized there were many barriers that impeded those experiencing homelessness from accessing high-quality healthcare, and they set out to be different. After successfully establishing a model to provide free healthcare services to women and children living in shelters, CAPN expanded its mission to include providing care for all those in our community who were medically underserved.
CAPN’s core principles include promoting healthy independence through care that is delivered with compassion and dignity. Strengthening the lives of those who have been systematically excluded is key to rebuilding communities and ending the cycle of poverty and homelessness. In July 2022 CAPN, now Our House Health, was fully integrated with Our House and will continue to provide the same nurse led essential healthcare services for more than 3,000 children and adults each year.
Accomplishments
12 August, 2021
On August 11, Our House was honored to receive the 2021 Organizational Leadership Award from the American Psychological Association’s Committee... Learn more
14 May, 2021
Largest Program Grant in Nonprofit’s 33-Year History Our House has received a grant of $1,000,000 for high-quality early learning programs... Learn more
30 October, 2019
Atlanta, GA — Our House’s Atlanta site recently received a three-star rating from Quality Rated — the highest rating a... Learn more
26 February, 2018
With over 350 guests in attendance, Our House’s 30th Birthday celebration, Cocktails, Confetti & Cake, generated close to $275,000 –... Learn more
21 February, 2018
Waheed is a quiet young man, shy and unassuming. He is soft-spoken but seems sure of himself and ready to... Learn more
25 May, 2017
Largest Program Grant in 30 Year History of Our House Atlanta, GA May 25, 2017: In a powerful statement of... Learn more
Key Partners
Leadership
Tyese Lawyer
President & CEO
Tyese Lawyer holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and has worked with vulnerable and at risk populations for more than two decades, with over 20 years of experience in managing non-profit programs for homeless and low income families. She has also served as a NAEYC Validator and presently serves as Chair on the DeKalb County Continuum of Care Board of Directors. Ms. Lawyer has been Our House’s chief executive since 2004.
Michelle Carter
Chief Impact Officer
Michelle Carter, MPA is an experienced and innovative leader in the field of education and services to children and their families. She has spent the last 20 years focused on how to improve and support quality early education in our communities, serving most recently as Executive Director of Atlanta Montessori International Schools (Endeavor Schools). Michelle earned her bachelors in social work at the University of Georgia and earned her graduate degree in nonprofit public administration at Kennesaw State University. She recently served on the Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children’s Board of Directors as their chair of Public Policy.
Penny Hefferon
Chief Financial Officer
Penny Hefferon, Chief Financial Officer, is a proven, strategic problem-solver dedicated to taking Our House to new levels of success through her depth and breadth of experience. Hefferon brings to the table nearly thirty years of financial experience and thirteen years of CFO experience. Before joining Our House, Hefferon was the CFO at Iroquois Nursing Home in Jamesville, New York, where she oversaw the company’s financial sustainability. Leveraging her diverse range of experience and her MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Hefferon stewards Our House’s financial health and human resources services with excellence.
Diane Douglass
Chief Development Officer
Diane Douglass brings over 20 years of fundraising, sales and marketing experience to Our House and has a demonstrated record of success in the areas of revenue generation and the recruitment and cultivation of productive fundraising boards and staff. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Diane came to Our House from Chicago, where she was the VP for Institutional Advancement at Black Ensemble Theater.
Tyreesha Hubbard
Chief Clinical Officer
Tyreesha Hubbard, DNP, CPNP-PC is an experienced board certified pediatric nurse practitioner and clinical leader. Her healthcare interests include preventive health, health equity, child advocacy, and pediatric mental wellbeing. Her doctoral research focused on promoting resilience and strengthening protective factors in children and adolescents. She has served in various roles within the field of nursing including nursing leadership and nursing academics. She enjoys teaching and mentoring the next generation of competent, compassionate, and equitable healthcare providers in Georgia. She is a fearless advocate for vulnerable communities and is dedicated to helping families achieve healthy independence. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Kennesaw State University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Augusta University.
Board Officers
Matthew Flower, Co-Chair
Morris, Manning & Martin LLP
Varun Marneni, Co- Chair
CPC Advisors
Erika Mitchell, Treasurer
Business Owner & Nonprofit Executive
Crystal Lassiter, Vice Chair
UPS
Lisa Reeves, Secretary
CNN
Board Members
Stefanie H. Jackman
Troutman Pepper
Maripat McCune
CSI Leasing
Sarah du Plessis
Ernst & Young
Jacqueline Flake
Retired, JP Morgan
Scott Johnson
Aaron’s LLC
Asif Mujtaba
Center State Bank
Henry Saxon
Boys & Girls Club of America
Seth Walker
Piedmont Atlanta Physicians
Dallie Gaskin
Dorsey Alston
Kesha Landrum
Optum
Dino Perone
AT&T
Brent Smith
Piedmont Office Realty Trust
Jonathan Zufi
Equity Estates Fund
Mike Dunston
Spectrum News 1
Tanya Hamburger
Community Volunteer
Mike Martin
Self-Employed
Alan Quarterman
Quartermoore: Five Paces Ventures
Courtney Smith
Self Employed
Advisory Council Leadership
D. Gayle Gellerstedt
Co-Chair
Audrey Morgan
Honorary Co-Chair
Barbara Levy
Co-Chair
Rabbi Alvin Sugarman
Honorary Co-Chair
Advisory Council Members
Alfred B. Adams, Jr.
Reverend Joanna Adams
Carol Cooper
Ann W. Cramer
Jackie Cushman
Tim Ghattas
Etta Raye Hirsch
Libby Gozansky
Gail Marshall
Albert Woodard
Career Opportunities
Our House is seeking highly qualified team players who are passionate about our mission to end family homelessness.
Financials
Select the links below to view our 30th Anniversary Annual Report and fiscal year 2020 Audited Financials.