The Journey Home: A Story for Homelessness Awareness Month

November is National Homelessness Awareness Month. Most of us have at least some awareness of homelessness—for many, it’s a thing we encounter daily. But not everyone is familiar with the many shapes homelessness can take. 

In the U.S., 37.2 million people live below the poverty line, and on any given night, nearly 600,000 of them experience homelessness. This could mean living on the street, out of a vehicle, couch surfing with different friends or relatives, and more.

At BCM Georgia, we work with people and families facing all different types of housing insecurity. Whether they’re currently unhoused, in danger of becoming so, or wanting to make sure they never experience homelessness again, our programs are designed to connect families to the resources and skills they need to build strong financial foundations and make home permanent.

A Home of Her Own

Jen and her 7-year-old son enrolled in our Foundation 3 ™ program just before the holidays in 2022. They’d been staying with different family members for a year by that point, and her son had begun to display a number of behavioral issues in school.

Foundation 3 ™ stabilizes unhoused families by focusing on three key areas: safe housing, stable employment, and financial education. Case managers also help identify and address known barriers, such as childcare, transportation, and healthcare access.

We began by helping Jen and her son secure an apartment with one of our partnered properties. A few months later, they were able to transition to a based-on-income unit they had previously been waitlisted for. Soon after, Jen enrolled in an online business management program and began a part-time job that allowed her to work from home.

This arrangement gave her the flexibility she needed to attend school meetings and coordinate with her son’s teachers on how to address his behavioral challenges. After several months of evaluations, he received a diagnosis that helped them develop an individualized education program (IEP) at school.

With focused support and a more stable home environment, his performance improved quickly. By the end of first grade, he was awarded Student of the Month and continues to improve.

At the same time, Jen accepted a new, full-time role with her company that included a substantial pay increase, as well as full benefits. She’s managed to pay off all her debt and raise her credit score from 431 to 624. She’s currently in a homeowner’s program working toward her dream of buying a home.

“[Foundation 3 ™] kept my family stable when everything around us seemed as if it was falling apart,” says Jen. “It has been a source of sustainability as well as a therapeutic resource… There are not enough words to express how much I have appreciated the support and grace BCM offers.” 

Solving Homelessness One Family at a Time

Homelessness in the U.S. can take many different shapes. It impacts many different people in many different ways and has a wide variety of causes. We don’t pretend to have a solution for homelessness as a social issue, but with responsive programs that meet families where they are, we can help build solid foundations that prevent them from ever having to face it again.