Rainbow Village Breaks Ground for New Campus

More than 200 community leaders turned out Friday for the groundbreaking for a new $6-million campus in Duluth for Rainbow Village that will allow accommodate more homeless families with children in the north metro Atlanta area and beyond. The new campus will allow families living in Rainbow Village homes in Duluth and Norcross to come together. When all three phases of the campus are completed, Rainbow Village will be able to accommodate 30 families.

The site of the new campus is near Ga. Hwy. 120 (Duluth Highway) and Buford Highway behind the Big Lots. The campus address will be 3427 Duluth Hwy.

The Duluth High School Band entertained, lunch was provided by Gwinnett Medical Center, visionaries were recognized, the ground was blessed and turned, and Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris officially declared April 15 as “Rainbow Village Day” in Duluth.  “April 15th is a significant date as it is officially marks Rainbow Village’s 20^th Anniversary.  Since 1991, over 200 families with over 500 children have successfully completed the Rainbow Village program. It is most fitting that today be the day that they unveil the vision for this exciting new campus,” Harris said.

The construction of the new all-inclusive village involves three distinct phases:

• Phase I will encompass the building of a Family Service Center and two 6-unit apartment buildings. This first phase will allow all of the families now living in Rainbow Village’s homes in Duluth and Norcross to reside on one campus. Phase I construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year.  

• Phase II will focus on building a two-story educational, recreation and daycare facility in the village beginning in 2012. This building will be home to Rainbow Village’s children and youth programs, adult life skills programs, as well as a community gathering room with a kitchen that will allow residents, staff and volunteers to come together to share meals, programs and special events like never before. The Atlanta Children’s Shelter will be partnering with Rainbow Village to provide a full-service daycare facility on site that will serve children 6-weeks-old through preschool age.

Seven Rotary clubs in Gwinnett County have agreed to champion the fund-raising efforts for Phase II of the campaign, as well as coordinate an ongoing collaboration that will include volunteering, mentoring, and providing service for years to come. “Rotarians all across our community are committed to this unprecedented partnership," said Lee Wolfe, president of the Gwinnett Rotary Club. "Rainbow Village addresses so much more than homelessness. There is a vicious cycle between homelessness, domestic violence and poverty that has significant impact on our community's health, vitality and economic stability. Our involvement in this project will contribute to the community in ways we will never be able to fully measure," Wolfe said.

• Phase III will complete the village with three additional apartment buildings designed to increase housing capacity from 10 to 30 families. The new apartments will house families of two to six individuals, providing living space for up to 180 individuals at a time. Each new apartment building will include a kitchen, living room, two or three bedrooms and one or two baths. Construction of Phase III is expected to begin in 2013.

The construction cost of the new village totals $6 million. As this five-year capital campaign was unveiled, Rainbow Village announced that it has  already successfully secured 52 percent of its fundraising goal thanks to more than 40 initial investors contributing just over $3.1 million. Key gifts that have laid a strong foundation for the campaign include a $1-million gift from the Scott Hudgens Family Foundation, a $1-million gift from Clyde and Sandra Strickland, and a $250,000 gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. 

Joe Young, a partner at Meadows & Ohly and a Rainbow Village Board member, will oversee construction of the new village. “Phase I is now fully funded, and we are well on our way to having Phase II covered before we begin that construction," said Young. "Having accomplished so much already, before going “public” today, clearly shows the tremendous support we have for our vision and mission and the faith the community has shown in the work that we do at Rainbow Village. Let us all be reminded that what we do here at Rainbow Village is truly priceless. We offer simple but powerful gifts of shelter, stability and love. We teach accountability, initiative, and critical life skills that enable broken people to reclaim their lives, to craft a second chance, and achieve their full potential. Many homeless families are praying right now for the hope and promise we have to offer.”

Rainbow Village is a transitional housing community. Most of the heads of households at Rainbow Village are women fleeing lives of domestic violence and poverty and their children. They are not just seeking a safe place to live but also the opportunity to craft a new life for themselves and their children. Rainbow Village has set in motion a true "village" model where homeless families can find refuge, recover, and learn to rebuild their lives with the support of a community-based family surrounding them.

Rainbow Village doesn't just provide a quick fix in times of crisis, but offers a long-term program that includes support services for the whole family including life skills training, character building, counseling, career development, after-school programs, financial education, and more. The goal is to break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence by teaching adults and children to believe in themselves again, to chart a new course, and to work a plan that enables them to once again be self-sufficient.