November 8, 2005 — In Georgia, The IMPACT! Group, which is in Gwinnett County outside Atlanta, has responded both directly, providing services to evacuees, and also collectively as part of the United Way Housing Locator Program and as the convener of a Gwinnett Interagency Case Management Team.
The IMPACT! Group focuses its direct services on case management, housing services, and housing counseling, adapting its approach as local evacuees’ needs change.
“The overall emphasis has shifted since we began working with the evacuees,” explained Alice Ramsey, director of The IMPACT! Resource Center.
“Our focus has progressed from meeting basic needs to addressing more long-range issues such as permanent housing, employment, and credit issues.”
While The IMPACT! Group has adapted its services
to meet the evacuees’ unique needs, it is no stranger to their progressive stages of recovery. The organization’s existing spectrum of housing services enable it to move families from homelessness all the way to homeownership. These capabilities allowed The IMPACT! Group to be one of the area’s earliest responders.
Since The IMPACT! Group began helping evacuees on August 29, it has placed 13 households for three months in rental units it owns or manages, and is preparing for 14 more households to move into its units for six months. It is securing furnishings and households items for the families. In addition, it has matched 10 families with investors of rental properties who donated units.
With the United Way program, the IMPACT! Group brought on a case manager dedicated solely to evacuees, who has completed intake on more than 44 families and placed 29 families in permanent housing. In addition, eight applications are pending, awaiting housing or job searches. More appointments are scheduled.
In the interagency effort, The IMPACT! Group has convened 19 agencies, including public, private, and faith-based organizations, to work together to provide comprehensive resources in a streamlined manner to evacuees in Gwinnett County
