FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2026
Media Contact:
Our House Communications
[email protected]
Our House Awarded $95,000 to Strengthen Family Stability Across Generations
Investment advances whole-family solutions connecting housing, early learning, healthcare, mental wellbeing and economic mobility for Atlanta families
ATLANTA — Our House, Inc., an Atlanta-based nonprofit, has received a $95,000 investment from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation to strengthen its efforts to help women, children and families build greater stability and opportunity across generations.
Our House was selected for funding through two Atlanta Women’s Foundation initiatives: the Two-Generation Initiative, which supports parents and young children, and the Foundation’s new Mental Health & Wellbeing Initiative, a five-year effort addressing mental health alongside the economic and social conditions that shape it.
The dual investment reflects a growing understanding that the challenges facing families rarely occur in isolation.
“Families don’t experience housing instability, childcare challenges, healthcare needs, mental health concerns and employment gaps as separate issues,” said Tyese Lawyer, president and CEO of Our House. “A disruption in one area can quickly affect the others. This investment recognizes the importance of supporting the whole family. Parents gain tools and resources that can help them build and sustain greater self-sufficiency. Children benefit from greater family stability and, for the youngest children, high-quality, trauma-informed early education that supports healthy development and school readiness. Together, those supports can change what is possible for a family for generations to come.”
Our House provides coordinated support across five core areas: housing, early childhood education, healthcare, employment training and Family Advocacy. Families can enter through any one of those programs based on what they need most at the time.
A parent without health insurance may first come to Our House for free primary or behavioral healthcare and discover that their young child qualifies for high-quality early childhood education. Another family may seek shelter and become connected to employment training or Rapid Rehousing. A parent looking to build a more sustainable career may enter through workforce development, including training for careers in early childhood education or the culinary field, and discover additional support available to their family.
There is no single pathway because families do not arrive with a single set of circumstances. Our House works with each family to identify the barriers affecting their stability and connect them with services that can address those needs.
That approach represents an evolution of work that began nearly four decades ago with a need for safe, reliable childcare for families experiencing homelessness. As Our House encountered families whose ability to move forward was also being shaped by housing instability, health needs, employment challenges and other barriers, its work expanded to address those needs more comprehensively.
Today, those pressures remain deeply interconnected. For families already living close to the financial margin, they can also compound quickly. A health problem can lead to missed work. A childcare disruption can jeopardize employment. Lost income or rising housing costs can destabilize a household. Untreated trauma or mental health needs can make every other challenge harder to navigate.
Recent Atlanta Women’s Foundation research demonstrates the need for more integrated approaches. The Foundation found that 54% of metro Atlanta renters are housing cost-burdened and more than half of surveyed nonprofit staff reported clients experiencing delays or cancellations when seeking mental health care. Yet only 23% of providers surveyed offered integrated or co-located services, despite participants calling for easier access to mental health, housing, employment and family support in one place.
The findings closely reflect what Our House sees among families navigating homelessness and housing instability, where financial pressure may intersect with trauma, healthcare needs, childcare responsibilities, transportation barriers and employment disruptions.
Continued Investment in a Growing Atlanta Resource
The latest award builds on years of Atlanta Women’s Foundation investment in Our House and reflects continued confidence in the organization’s ability to respond to the evolving needs of Atlanta families.
AWF has previously supported Our House through initiatives focused on workforce development and two-generation family stability. Its current Two-Generation Initiative supports Our House’s early childhood education program while helping mothers access housing support, job training and healthcare navigation. This year, AWF expanded its investment to include the organization in its new Mental Health & Wellbeing Initiative, which supports integrated approaches addressing mental health alongside housing, healthcare, family stability and economic wellbeing.
That investment comes as Our House continues to expand its role within Atlanta’s broader network of family support and homelessness services.
Through Rapid Rehousing partnerships with the City of Atlanta, Partners for HOME and other community partners, Our House helps families move into permanent housing with financial assistance, individualized case management and connections to employment, healthcare and mental health resources. The work complements the organization’s family shelter and broader network of early childhood education, healthcare, workforce development and Family Advocacy programs.
“Family homelessness is too complex for any one organization or sector to solve alone,” Lawyer said. “Progress happens when government, philanthropy, businesses, nonprofits and communities bring their resources and expertise together around families. The Atlanta Women’s Foundation’s continued investment and our work with partners like the City of Atlanta demonstrate what becomes possible when we combine resources around solutions that help families build lasting stability.”
The Atlanta Women’s Foundation announced its 2026 community investments Sept. 10 at Atlanta City Hall. The Foundation is investing $1.418 million this year through grants, research, leadership development and other mission-driven work supporting women, girls and families across metro Atlanta.
About Our House
Our House provides transformative care to end the cycle of homelessness for Atlanta families. Through housing, early childhood education, healthcare, workforce development and Family Advocacy, Our House helps children and families experiencing homelessness, housing instability and economic hardship address immediate needs while building greater long-term stability and self-sufficiency.
For more information, visit ourhousega.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will the $95,000 in Atlanta Women’s Foundation funding support at Our House?
Through the Two-Generation Initiative, Atlanta Women’s Foundation funding supports Our House’s nationally accredited Early Childhood Education program, including high-quality instruction, meals and health services for young children, while mothers receive housing support, job training and healthcare navigation. Funding through the Mental Health & Wellbeing Initiative supports work that connects mental and behavioral healthcare with the broader conditions that influence family wellbeing, including housing, healthcare access, economic stability and family support.
Why was Our House selected for the Two-Generation Initiative?
Our House’s work closely reflects the initiative’s goal of helping parents and young children move forward together. Young children enrolled in Our House’s nationally accredited, state quality-rated Early Childhood Education program receive evidence-based instruction, nutritious meals, developmental support and health services. At the same time, their parents can access housing assistance, healthcare, workforce development and individualized family support designed to help strengthen the household’s long-term stability.
Why was Our House selected for the Mental Health & Wellbeing Initiative?
Our House’s integrated model closely aligns with the types of services the Atlanta Women’s Foundation identified as priorities for the initiative. Our House Health provides free primary, behavioral and mental healthcare for people without insurance and experiencing homelessness or financial hardship. The organization also offers care coordination, chronic-care management and assistance addressing barriers such as medication and transportation. Those services are connected to a broader network of housing, early childhood education, workforce development and Family Advocacy programs that can address some of the conditions contributing to instability.
How will these grants help the families Our House serves?
The grants provide direct support for programs helping Atlanta families address both immediate needs and the conditions that can affect their long-term stability. Through the Two-Generation Initiative, children can receive high-quality early education, meals, developmental and health support while their parents work toward greater housing and economic stability through services such as healthcare navigation, employment training and housing assistance.
The Mental Health & Wellbeing Initiative strengthens another critical part of that work. Through Our House Health, families and eligible community members can access free primary, behavioral and mental healthcare, including support for people who may be uninsured or otherwise unable to afford care. Because those services are connected with housing, early childhood education, workforce development and Family Advocacy, Our House can also help address some of the pressures that may be contributing to stress, trauma or poor health.
Together, the grants help Our House continue providing families with coordinated support that responds to what they need today while creating greater opportunity for parents and children in the years ahead.
How can individuals and businesses support Our House’s work?
Individuals, businesses and community organizations can help sustain this work through financial contributions, volunteer service, donations of needed items and corporate or community partnerships. Support from across Atlanta helps Our House continue providing its proven programs to families working toward greater stability.