Services

Direct Aid

Calls for assistance are directed to a volunteer caseworker who will ascertain the need, visit the client at their home along with a second caseworker and present the case to the conference. The conference as a whole decides whether we can help. The decision to help is based on “Giving a hand up rather than a hand out”.

We believe that “No act of charity is foreign to the society”. Typical forms of assistance include Rent/Mortgage, Electricity, Gas, Phone, Food, Transportation Vouchers, Furniture and Clothing.

The home visit is an important part of the process. When we visit a client at their home, it is with the intention of making them feel at home and more comfortable. It is not to verify the need or to “inspect” the home. The idea is to treat every client as a person/family rather than as an entry in a computerized database.

House of Dreams

SVdP believes in giving a hand up even if it means having to hold a person’s hand for an extended period of time. The House of Dreams offers safe, subsidized or free housing, food and mentoring for up to four single women at any time. Mentors impart important Lifeskills including budgeting and Job-Search techniques. Women stay until they can find a job and build some savings before they go out on their own.

Food Pantry

The onsite food pantry is used to provide food to clients along with other monetary and in-kind assistance. While we typically provide monetary assistance only once in a 12 month period, we do encourage clients to get food from the pantry once a month to help keep their expenses low. The pantry is stocked with donated food items and food from The Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Thrift Store

Clients needing furniture and clothing assistance are provided vouchers to our Thrift Store which is located at 787 Roswell St, Marietta, GA 30060. Vouchers for free goods can be provided by caseworkers. The Thrift store does not dispense vouchers. There are a number of thrift stores which serve other parts of the Atlanta metro area. A complete list is available at http://www.svdpatl.org/what-we-do/thrift-stores/