HomeStretch Live Music Event BBQ in Burbs Raises $13,000 for Homeless Families

Alpharetta, GA) - About 250 people came out to support HomeStretch, savor delicious homemade barbecue and listen to live country music from Haley & Alexis at Little River Farms recently. The first-time event raised about $13,000, organizers said. HomeStretch is a Roswell-based non-profit dedicated to ending homelessness through comprehensive training, goal setting and financial counseling.

HomeStretch Program Director Carol Swan explained what HomeStretch is able to do with the community’s support, stating simply, “Our clients invest the time and use the tools we provide to solve the problem that brought them to HomeStretch in the first place.”

A HomeStretch graduate, who is now a homeowner and chef, gave a short speech about her experience with HomeStretch. She said she had to get over her embarrassment and ask for help from her daughter’s teacher when she found herself and her three children evicted from their home. She advises others who may be in a similar predicament to seek help from someone who will listen. These days she operates her own business and counsels clients on nutritionally sound eating habits.

“HomeStretch offers resources to help people. What’s different about HomeStretch is the heart. They care for us,” said the graduate. “I found being held accountable was most helpful. HomeStretch taught me how to manage my finances.”

The big response for the first-time event made for a special moment for Darrin Cohen, HomeStretch board president and proprietor of BBQ in the Burbs, a catering business in Milton that donated homemade barbecue for the crowd. He has plans to open a barbecue restaurant that will be called BBQ in the Burbs.

“This is so exciting. It’s been four years in the making and has exceeded my expectations,” he said.

Event sponsor Hilbert Law Firm has supported HomeStretch for more than 10 years now.

“I’ve been a Hilbert’s Hero for more than a decade. It’s events like these that enable a greater awareness of what we do,” said one of the guests. “You see these children and families filled with such great despair. We provide support for the housing and the life skills – training them in the fundamental skills necessary to have a home.”

About HomeStretch
Established in 1991, HomeStretch of Roswell, Georgia, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to giving homeless parents and children safe, comfortable surroundings in which to live while helping them address the root causes of homelessness to return to a life of self-reliance and independence.

HomeStretch breaks the cycle of poverty and housing instability by providing temporary housing in a safe and secure fully furnished 2 or 3 bedroom home, to working homeless families who participate in the 12 to 18 month program. Families commit to the HomeStretch program which includes casework with a professional social worker, working with a volunteer family mentor and volunteer budget mentor, and attending LifeSkills Education classes bimonthly.

HomeStretch guides clients to reach goals of stable employment, stable housing, stable finances, and stable families by offering support services--including financial literacy classes, career enhancement, job readiness skills, transportation assistance, emotional support, as well as transitional and affordable housing. A comprehensive care plan is developed for each family and addresses individualized goals, support plans, and financial counseling which enables HomeStretch clients to become successful managers of their finances and attain stable housing upon completion of the program.

For more information, or to donate time, money or resources please visit http://www.homestretch.org. Also visit HomeStretch on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homestretch.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Rose Burton, Executive Director
rburton@homestretch.org
HomeStretch.org
(770) 642-9185

*Pictured in photo: Lillie, Julienne, Ellison Johnson and a dog named Cookie.