Facility for homeless expands

10/08/03

By Doug Couch - Douglas County Sentinel

The Mothers Making a Change program in Douglasville took a step foward Monday with a ground breaking ceremony for a new community room at the Douglas Community Services Board residential housing facility.

"It is a residential facility for homeless women and children, women with a history of substance abuse," said Site Supervisor Sharlyn Taylor.

The facility consists of seven town homes, one of which is currently being used for offices. According to CSB Executive Director Tod Citron, the seventh unit will become a housing unti as soon as the offices are moved into the community room.

"The majority of the funding here is through the Department of Human Resoures through their temporary assistance for needy families program," Citron said.

Original funding to purchase the facility came from the Department of Community Affairs and Douglas County. Money for the new multi-purpose room comes from a $65,000 grant from the Office of Community Affairs. In addition to the new office space, the community room will be used for ongoing support activities.

Among those attending the ground breaking were Citron, CSB Board Chair/County Community Chairman Rita Rainwater, CBS Board Member/Douglas County Schools Superintendent Don Remillard, and Georgia Department of Community Affairs representative John Bassett.

Gilmer Construction will be building the expansion, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Juanita Flannagan, a graduate of the rehab program, came from being held in contempt of court for not entering a drug rehab program in 1996 to now having a steady job and owning her own home where she lives with her children.

"Once I came to the residential and got into the program, it helped me get back into society, get custody of my seven children and shile I was hee I got a job at the Robert Bosch Corporation and and I am still there," she said. "I think - most of all - it helped me fit back into society, because once you are out on drugs for a long time, you are totally out of it. It has been a tremendous help for me and a lot of women who have been out on drugs and have kids, this will benefit them to start living again."

The MMAC program provides long-term transitional housing for homeless substance abusing women with children. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs, formerly known as the Georgia Housing Authority, awarded an initial grant in 1994 of $150,000 for acquisition of the property for MMAC. The first family was housed there August 31, 1995.

Currently, the property can house up to 12 families and with the addition of the community room, 14 families can be housed there.

The Cobb and Douglas CSB provide mental health, developmental disibilities and substance abuse services to more than 12,000 residents of Cobb and Douglas Counties annually.