The OH! What a Night Gala 2022 will take place on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at the Atlanta History Center. We are honored to announce that this year’s Gala will remember and celebrate Our House’s longtime advocate and friend Jovita Moore.
The 2022 event will be emceed by Natalie Allen, and feature a whirlwind of fabulous cuisine, cocktails for a cause, live entertainment, and auctions for exclusive gifts and experiences.
Last year, over $244,000 was raised to support Our House programs and help end the cycle of homelessness or families. We look forward to making the 2022 event our most successful yet, and invite you to become a Patron, Sponsor, or Corporate Partner today.
Our House is pleased to announce the fourth annual Wheels4Walls Sleep In will take place on Saturday, November 13. This annual community event invites supporters to spend one night in their car to bring awareness to families experiencing homelessness.
Each year, Our House partners with Wheels4Walls Sponsors and individual and team Ambassadors to raise critical funds for children and families experiencing homelessness. Throughout the month of November, Ambassadors will set a personal goal and reach out to friends, family, co-workers and more to help end family homelessness. To sign up as an Ambassador or donate, visit the 2021 Wheels4Walls event page.
David Hudson, Head of Original Programming and Production, Scripps National Networks
Courtney Smith, civic leader and president of the Midtown Neighbors’ Association
Leaders in their fields, these new board members bring extensive finance, governance, fundraising, and marketing experience to Our House. “We are tremendously grateful to have their collective expertise on board as we navigate the pandemic, and embark on the development of a new three-year strategic plan,” says Our House President and CEO Tyese Lawyer.
Our House’s Board of Directors has 29 members, and is chaired by D’Ree Cooper, legal senior director at Travelport. Additional officers include Vice Chair Mike Martin of Codesmith, Treasurer Beth Farnsworth of Ernst & Young and Secretary Suzannah Gill of Epic Insurance Brokers & Consultants.
Since its merger with Genesis Shelter in 2014, Our House has grown to serve more than 500 individuals each year and, prior to COVID-19, approved a $3.9 million Capital Campaign effort to deepen its program offerings and reach more children and families impacted by homelessness. As federal relief programs and eviction moratoriums come to an end, Our House remains committed to finding solutions that keep families with young children safely housed and equipped with the resources they need to thrive.
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About Our House Our House is a nonprofit organization serving children and families experiencing homelessness in the Greater Atlanta area. Since 1987, the organization has helped thousands of individuals overcome homelessness through its Early Childhood Education, Employment Training Services, Housing Services and Family Services programs. For more information, visit www.ourhousega.org.
Each year, CSES gives awards to recognize the outstanding achievements of psychologists, students of psychology and organizations which have made significant contributions to the understanding of socioeconomic status (SES) and the lives and well-being of the socioeconomically disadvantaged. The awards are given in four areas: to distinguished leaders, emerging leaders, students and organizations.
The virtual award ceremony featured inspiring conversation from CSES committee members and fellow 2021 CSES award winners Mindi Thompson, PhD, HSP; Taewon Kim; and Rosie Phillips Davis, PhD, ABPP.
The highlight of the evening for our team, however, came from CSES Chair Beryl Ann Cowan, JD, PhD, who shared with us that her early work with Genesis Shelter (which merged with Our House in 2014) is what inspired her to earn her doctorate and led to her subsequent research on the impact of homelessness on children.
From the bottom of our hearts, Our House thanks CSES for this incredible honor, and for their unceasing commitment to reducing socioeconomic disparities in our communities.
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 for young children experiencing homelessness.
This transformational gift will provide early childhood education scholarships and mental and behavioral healthcare services to young children over a period of three years. In addition, the funding will allow Our House to invest in leadership capacity building for its staff.
“For children, the trauma of homelessness can cause developmental delays and behavioral health challenges that become long-term barriers to learning and career success,” says Tyese Lawyer, Our House President and CEO. “That is why high-quality early education programs and early intervention services like the ones supported by this grant are so important, as early interventions help mitigate the negative effects of homelessness and break the cycle.”
Our House’s early childhood education program serves children ages six weeks to five years old whose families are experiencing homelessness. Each year, more than 200 children receive personalized lessons; nutritious meals; regular developmental assessments, health and early intervention services; and ongoing enrichment activities at Our House. The program serves children who are most at-risk for poor educational outcomes, and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Quality Rated.
The grant will provide scholarships to fully cover the program costs for children not covered by Head Start, allowing Our House to continue to offer these services at no cost to parents.
Funding will also allow Our House to contract with inclusions specialists from The Adaptive Learning Center to provide daily intervention services for children with special developmental or behavioral needs.
“Through this generous gift, The Goizueta Foundation has invested in the futures of hundreds of Atlanta’s most vulnerable children,” says President Lawyer. “We honor and are deeply grateful for the Foundation’s continued partnership with Our House, and its commitment to expanding opportunity through education.”
Our House is pleased to welcome Michelle Carter, MPA, a 25-year professional in the fields of early childhood education, family services, and program management, as our new Chief Impact Officer.
A newly created role, the Chief Impact Officer will ensure Our House delivers on its strategic initiatives and programmatic goals as we move from the pandemic environment. Michelle will oversee Our House program teams internally, and will also take charge of nurturing current and future external program partnerships.
Michelle brings a wealth of experience to this role. A graduate of the University of Georgia and Kennesaw State University, Michelle has served as the Director of Bright Horizons at the Chick-fil-A Corporate Office; as the Executive Director of Druid Hills Child Development Center; and most recently as the Executive Director of Atlanta Montessori International Schools (Endeavor Schools), where she was responsible for the overall success of teachers and staff serving children from birth through 6th grade.
A Bright from the Start approved trainer, Michelle proudly served on the Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children’s Board of Directors as their chair of Public Policy. Michelle’s other board and community appointments have included service on the Quality Rated Advisory Committee and the GEEARS Infant Toddler Coalition.
The newly created Chief Impact Officer role will ensure Our House makes the greatest possible impact for clients and community. We are thrilled to have Michelle’s expertise to guide our programs as we adapt to a changing landscape and deepen our impact. Welcome, Michelle!
About Michelle Carter
Michelle Carter is an experienced and innovative leader in the field of education and services to children and their families who has spent the last 20 years focused on how to improve and support quality early education in our communities. During her career she sought out and invested in organizations that share her core values of: work hard, be honest, and stay focused on a mission of service to children and families and with that success will come!
Michelle started her career after earning her bachelors in social work at the University of Georgia in the field of public health where she provided direct service support providing crisis intervention through a home visiting program and supporting youth in the juvenile justice system. She then transitioned into the field of early education as she was earning her graduate degree in nonprofit public administration at Kennesaw State University.
Michelle believes that early education is not only a need for children and their families but also an economic driver for communities and a field leveler for working families and should provide services for the whole child and the whole family. Michelle is a trained facilitator, coach, and proudly served on the Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children’s Board of Directors as their chair of Public Policy and on other public policy committees.
Michelle and her husband Brad Carter live in Atlanta with their two children Henry (11) and Anna (9) and their family dog Sadie (3). Most weekends they can be found on a soccer field or most recently at track and field events for their children.
In January 2021, Our House launched a powerful new partnership.
For one year, Our House’s Family Services team will be part of a network of nonprofits participating in the City of Atlanta’s Coronavirus Relief Fund COVID Recovery Rapid Re-Housing Initiative with Partners for HOME. The initiative is part of an ambitious $24.1 million dollar effort to stabilize housing for 2,000 households across the Greater Atlanta community in the next year, including 800 households through Rapid Re-Housing, and 1,200 households through Diversion. The effort is funded through a combination of federal CARES Act dollars and private philanthropy.
Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) is a relatively innovative housing policy, and part of the Housing First approach to end homelessness. RRH programs include housing identification, rent and move-in assistance (typically lasting 4-6 months), and ongoing case management and support services.
Our House’s team will specifically offer tailored case management and support services to families with children experiencing chronic or near chronic homelessness; and unaccompanied youth and young adults (with or without children) experiencing homelessness.
Since January, 15 families supported by Our House case managers have successfully moved into their own apartments (each with 1-year leases). Our House case managers are also working with 23 more families currently going through the re-housing process.
“It is overwhelming to see the joy and relief our families feel as they pick up their keys and walk through their new homes,” says Raven Whavers, Our House’s Director of Housing and Family Services. “We are truly grateful to participate in this partnership and to help connect more area families with the shelter and support they need to live and thrive.”
Atlanta, GA – Our House is pleased to announce the addition of six new members to its Board of Directors: Matt Brock, executive director at Brock Built; Laura Diamond, business development director at Goodman Decorating; Dallie Gaskin, associate broker at Dorsey Alston, REALTORS; Anna Holcombe, corporate counsel at LexisNexis Risk Solutions; Natalie Morhous, president of RaceTrac Corporation; and David Siegel, senior manager at Aprio.
“These leaders represent a diverse group of individuals who will provide strategic direction as we navigate the COVID-19 landscape and move closer to becoming a Center of Excellence in the field of family homelessness,” says President and CEO, Tyese Lawyer.
These members join an additional 26 members of the Board of Directors, chaired by D’Ree Cooper, legal senior director at Travelport. Additional officers include Vice Chair Mike Martin of Jackson Spalding, Treasurer Beth Farnsworth of Ernst & Young and Secretary Suzannah Gill of Epic Insurance Brokers & Consultants.
Since its merger with Genesis Shelter in 2014, Our House has grown to serve over 500 individuals annually and, prior to COVID-19, approved a $4 million Capital Campaign effort to deepen its program offerings and reach more children and families impacted by homelessness. With the new challenges presented by the pandemic, the organization is looking to increase ways to keep families housed and equipped with supplies that help them maintain self-sufficiency while sheltering in place.
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About Our House Our House is a nonprofit organization serving children and families experiencing homelessness in the Greater Atlanta area. Since 1987, the organization has helped thousands of individuals overcome homelessness through its Early Childhood Education, Employment Training Services, Housing Services and Family Services programs. For more information, visit www.ourhousega.org.
Our House’s 2020-2021 school calendar is now available for download. Parents can use this tool to learn about school closings and critical dates that may impact your child’s class day. For questions about the calendar, please email our Chief Impact Officer, Michelle Carter.
This week, Our House welcomed students back to our Atlanta and Decatur campuses. While excited to hear their little voices in the classrooms again, I cannot ignore the deeper conversations going on in our nation today. I recognize that injustices against black humans — more recently Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd — are part of a reality that has plagued our nation for too many years. Its effects have been passed down from generation to generation, seeping its way into the fiber of every part of our communities, and inflicting pain, trauma and despair on our children and families.
I want to change this narrative. As a provider of early childhood education, I know that the early years are most important for a child’s growth and development. Biases against humans are not something we are born with and it pains me to think the future for children we serve is anything less than bright. Children like Jamon, a Decatur preschooler who has worked hard and attended every Zoom class held by his teacher during the COVID-19 pandemic, deserve a bright future filled with all that is good in the world.
I also think of the parents of our children. Chanel is a single mother of four who recently completed her Associates in Healthcare Management and is starting her Bachelors in Business Administration this summer. She’s working hard to provide a better future for herself and her family. While in school, she’s learning how to navigate business. At home, she’s teaching her children how to navigate racism.
As part of our efforts to effect change, Our House will commit to working with our families, partners and supporters to lead the collective action to make our community safe for all humans. We will partner with families to share resources that deepen one’s understanding of race, human rights, social justice and activism. We will also strengthen relationships with partners to provide families we serve, staff and supporters access to health professionals that guide them through the mental and physical effects of injustices against humans. Finally, we will provide more opportunities for the community to connect with one another through our work and shared values. Despite the ongoing pandemic and social distancing guidelines, we recognize humans need healthy ways to engage, be better allies for one another and build an inclusive community for our children to grow in.
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once stated, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” As President and CEO of Our House, I want to end this message by saying thank you to our Board of Directors who’ve reached out to express concern and support for how we can move forward. We are committed to using our platform to amplify the truth and voices of black lives, because they matter. Without open dialogue of how to overcome biases against humans because of the color of their skin, we will never be able to heal other diseases that plague our communities. We hope that you will join us in having these courageous conversations and making our communities better for all humans.
Our House is pleased to welcome Michelle Carter, MPA, a 25-year professional in the fields of early childhood education, family services, and program management, as our new Chief Impact Officer.