DULUTH, Ga. - GeorgiaChron -- "It takes a village" isn't merely an idiom. At Rainbow Village – a nonprofit with a mission to bring Help, Hope, Housing, and Healing to families experiencing homelessness, it's a reality lived out daily. The most recent example can be found in the amazing support the charitable organization has received from the community in the midst of a historic expansion. Through its "Building Homes, Building Hope" Capital Campaign, Rainbow Village is building two new apartment buildings on its newly expanded Duluth campus. The move will more than double the number of families it can serve with its mix of housing and transformational programming, expanding from 30 families to 66 upon completion. In order to accommodate a larger number of families at its Community Center – which houses facilities for its Academy after-school/school break youth program, Pathways to Progress life skills classes, dining room, commercial kitchen, storage, and gathering spaces – the three-story building is undergoing a renovation. To help fund the Center's reimagining, Rainbow Village has received a $20,000 grant from the Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia and $50,000 in in-kind contributions from HomeAid Georgia, Varium Construction Group, and its trade partners.

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"In addition to the much-needed funding we received from the Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia, we've already witnessed a lot of sweat equity from HomeAid Georgia partners," said Rainbow Village (http://www.rainbowvillage.org/) CEO Melanie Conner. "38 volunteers from DRB Homes, CBRE, and Sherwin-Williams came together for a HomeAid Georgia Care Day on our campus in September. They painted the third floor of our Community Center and closed in an open space with new framing, drywall, and a door to provide additional storage space. The next step is the reimagining of former daycare space on our first floor into adult classrooms. We hosted a ribbon-cutting event on October 23 to showcase the work completed by the good folks at Varium Construction Group and its trade partners: All South Electrical Constructors, Atlas Demolition, Gill Plumbing Company, NOCO Contracting, and Sherwin-Williams to lay the groundwork for the first floor."

The $50,000 in in-kind contributions from HomeAid Georgia and its partners helped cover goods and services for the first-floor renovation. Conner also thanked Christ Church Episcopal in Norcross for helping Rainbow Village secure the Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia Grant. "There would be no Rainbow Village without Christ Church Episcopal. Although it's been well over two decades since we moved our services from Norcross to Duluth, the Christ Church congregation has continued to support our organization. The $20,000 grant will go a long way in transforming our newly renovated first floor into adult learning spaces. By outfitting it with new technology and flexible furniture, we are creating classrooms for job training, financial coaching, and parenting workshops. These updated spaces will support current families while preparing to serve up to 300 people each year."

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Conner added, "I can't think of a better name for this building than the 'Community Center.' When families arrive at Rainbow Village, they often feel isolated and uncertain after facing the trauma of being unhoused. In this building, they will find support, commonality with other families who've been through similar circumstances, and a much-needed sense of community. While we're not expanding the size of this facility, we're reimagining the way spaces are utilized to best accommodate more than double the number of families we currently serve."

Lastly, Conner clarified that foundations, corporations, and churches aren't the only entities that can help fund Rainbow Village's growth to better meet the needs of unhoused families with children in Metro Atlanta. Individuals and families can also donate to Rainbow Village's Capital Campaign by visiting https://rainbowvillage.org/capital-campaign-building-homes-building-hope/.