*****Author’s Note: The following post was published on July 29, 2018 and has not been updated since its initial publication. As this post was written as part of a bigger, older project that has already ended, I do not intend on updating this post with new information about the organizations featured in it. This means some or all of the information in this or other posts in this series may be outdated by the time you read this post.
If you need the latest information on these organizations, it is your responsibility to conduct that research on your own. These posts can be used as a jumping off point for that research, but it is still your responsibility to look up these organizations on your own to verify whether or not their services still exist or will actually work for your needs.
***This blog post is part of a weekly series titled #SignalBoostSunday. This series will highlight organizations and social causes that are of importance and provide assistance to the Greater Atlanta area. ***
This week on #SignalBoostSunday, we’re looking at two lesser-known, local non-profit organizations that strive to end the cycle of poverty in Atlanta.
Both organizations provide extensive assistance to Atlanta’s low-income families and individuals and to the city’s homeless, to not only help with their immediate needs, but to also give them the resources necessary to improve the conditions of their lives and rise out of poverty.
1.) City of Refuge
City of Refuge helps families and individuals by providing comprehensive social services to ensure that the people they assist have the resources necessary to gain financial independence.
The nonprofit’s social services can be divided into five categories: Health and Wellness, Housing, Human Trafficking, Vocational Training and Youth Development. Within these categories, the most notable programs are: Mercy Care, Eden Village, House of Cherith and the 180° Culinary Arts Academy.
Mercy Care (a part of the Saint Joseph’s Health System) provides healthcare services to Atlanta’s homeless and low-income. Mercy Care has locations all over the metro Atlanta area, including one within City of Refuge. This location offers medical, dental, vision and mental health services.
Eden Village provides housing for up to 180 days for mothers with children and single women. House of Cherith is essentially a safe-house for women who are victims of human trafficking and sex exploitation.
180° Culinary Arts Academy is just one of the vocational programs City of Refuge offers the people they assist: The program allows participants to learn important culinary job skills.
Midtown Assistance Center (MAC) is an Atlanta non-profit that works to prevent homelessness and hunger among Atlanta’s poor in the first place, by providing emergency financial assistance and other resources during times of crisis.
Some of the assistance MAC offers includes: the paying of rent and utility bills, a food pantry, providing to access transportation (via MARTA passes) and clothes (even job-specific attire) for job interviews and work.
Anita M. George: Journalist, Writer 
I had no idea. I have seen Mercy Care locations and wondered what they were.
I’m looking for a good cause to volunteer for. The Mesls on Wheels I volunteered for a year lost their contract in June.
Thank you, for the detailed information about those who care for “ the least of thee”!