MUST Ministries Opens Additional Beds at Elizabeth Inn

MARIETTA, GA --MUST Ministries is celebrating the addition of eight new beds benefitting families at the Elizabeth Inn Shelter in Marietta on Aug. 20. The much-needed beds result in a total of 72 for men, women and children, increasing the family capacity at MUST ‘s shelter by 42 percent.

“We’ve seen an increase in demand for families seeking shelter, so this will help those families in need,” says Rachel Castillo, senior Director of Housing Services, “While the additional beds help, we still have a significant need for shelter beds in Cobb County. MUST has the only emergency walk-up shelter in the area and focuses on work recovery and stable housing solutions.”

The Elizabeth Inn has been turning away an average of 10 persons daily this summer, including men, women and children, because the shelter is at capacity While MUST serves as a place of refuge for many facing difficult circumstances, MUST cannot always meet the large demand. In Cobb County alone, more than 87.700 people are living in poverty. MUST helps almost 32,000 of those annually and more than half of those are children.

The Elizabeth Inn is not solely a shelter. It is a 6 week work recovery program that helps people get back to work and on the road to stability. “The Elizabeth Inn provides extensive support services tailored to meet the unique needs of each client or family,” according to Chris Fields, Senior Vice President /Programs and Administration. “Those comprehensive services include three meals a day, case management, education, employment, computer lab for job search and resume building, recovery meetings and assessments."

Individuals have a maximum of a six week stay and families can stay up to 8 weeks, he explained. “In addition, many family services are provided to help stabilize those who need financial security. MUST provides childcare assistance, after school tutoring, toy shops at Christmas and many other resources.”

At the Aug. 20 dedication, MUST Ministries honored the North Georgia United Methodist Conference Housing and Homeless Council for their generous funding for the additional beds at the shelter. The Housing and Homeless council funds churches and non-profits that provide shelters, soup kitchens, transitional housing, clothing closets and other services to the homeless and those in poverty. The grants are funded from an annual offering provided by United Methodist Churches.

While MUST serves as a place of refuge for many, all facing difficult circumstances, MUST cannot always meet the large demand. In Cobb County alone, there are 500 homeless persons, according to the latest homeless count.

Those interested in donating to MUST’s housing services can visit www.mustministries.org.

###