Photo Courtesy of the Cathedral of Christ the King

ATLANTA—For many members of Buckhead’s homeless community, meaningful relationships with others can be hard to find. At parishes like the Cathedral of Christ the King, unhoused people feel a welcoming sense of trust, compassion and hospitality.

After the pandemic, many service provider organizations struggled with resources and funding and began to shut down, leaving a void in the Buckhead area. A few church communities nearby—the Cathedral of Christ the King, the Cathedral of St. Philip, Peachtree Road United Methodist Church and Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church—recognized a growing need for support.

“We had all been talking, asking, ‘What can we do as a faith community to help with this homeless situation?’” said Wendy Klump, associate director of discipleship at Christ the King. “There were a couple of situations where the churches had the homeless sleeping right outside their doors, and we were thinking, ‘How do we help?’”

In collaboration with each other, the churches contacted Intown Cares, a nonprofit serving the homeless, and offered to fund some work in Buckhead and a case worker.

Volunteer Laura Day helps youngsters pack hygiene kits and snack bags as part of the collaboration between the Cathedral of Christ the King and Intown Cares to aid the homeless. Photo Courtesy of the Cathedral of Christ the King

“We’ve had a number of partnerships with churches in the past that have all been successful, because there’s spiritual and community support,” said Brad Schweers, executive director of Intown Cares. Originally from Chicago, Schweers has 20 years of experience with Atlanta’s non-profits. “Churches are places where people have good relationships, whether they are housed or unhoused.”

Intown Cares, or Buckhead Cares as it is known in the area, is located at Druid Hills Presbyterian Church. The non-profit’s mission is to “prevent and reverse homelessness and hunger in Intown Atlanta” by enrolling unhoused people in their program, assisting with resource and support services and finding available, permanent housing for qualifying members. A crucial step in the process is building trust with members of the homeless community.

“That oftentimes means going out to where people are,” Schweers explained. “We don’t do anything without trust. That’s the currency we really operate with. Trust is earned, it’s not just given by anybody, especially people experiencing homelessness.”

While Buckhead Cares staff and volunteers are tenacious, it may take them months to build a strong relationship with a member of the unhoused community. But many of those genuine connections already exist at the churches participating in this collaboration.

“Our potential clients go to Christ the King and feel welcome. The world is often very inhospitable, so that is a place where people can take a deep breath,” Schweers said, “and people say, ‘Hey, I’m so glad you’re here.’”

Christ the King is proud to serve as a refuge and safe place for the homeless. With many resources already in place such as hygiene kits and snack bags, their partnership with Intown Cares only expanded the level of support they can provide.

“Intown Cares enables us to provide more than just temporary relief,” said Msgr. Frank McNamee over e-mail. “We can meet their immediate needs and also help them navigate opportunities for stable work and housing.”

Over the first year, the connection between Buckhead Cares and these churches has been very successful. The non-profit has transitioned 213 out of 355 clients from homelessness into permanent housing, with nine of those clients living in Buckhead. They have engaged an additional 600 to 800 members of the homeless community, building the relationships that are so necessary to their clients’ well-being and entrance into the housing process.

“It’s been fabulous,” said Schweers. “It’s really gone how we hoped it would. This kind of relationship between parishes and non-profits to help folks move off the street has never been done before. To have parishes where trust is between parishes and our organization, it’s such a beautiful thing when it does happen and it continues to work.”

The churches of Buckhead also recognize the value of working to solve the problem of homelessness together despite differences in their beliefs. “We’re blessed to have a strong, supportive faith community in Buckhead,” Msgr. McNamee said. “The more faith communities that live the love of God for our neighbors, the stronger we are and the more people we can impact. I hope that in the support we provide, they see the face and hands of Christ.”