Central Outreach&Advocacy Center

The Outreach Program operates each weekday, offering services to nearly 200 men, women, and children who are near homelessness or homeless. Paid staff and volunteer counselors from a number of different organizations staff the program. They provide services that include emergency food, clothing, referrals, and transportation assistance. Counselors may work with guests to help find drug and alcohol rehabilitation placements, shelter, and employment opportunities.

The Outreach Program also includes a specialized service known as “The Exodus Journey”. More information about this program is found below.

Often the most important assistance we provide to a guest is help obtaining a copy of their birth certificate or applying for a Georgia ID card to find full-time employment. The center also offers hospitality services that include beverages, a light snack, and use of telephones for all guests that enter our doors.

The OAC is one of only three agencies offering identification and birth certificate services in Atlanta. The center provides a critical resource to get people back on a path to independence and security. In one year alone, the center assisted people in obtaining more than 1,700 state identification cards and over 1,000 birth certificates from all over the world. This important service gives people the tools and the self-esteem to seek jobs and other life-building resources.

Whether the service is as simple as providing MARTA tokens to enable a guest without a car to get to work, or as complicated as helping a homeless family find shelter, the mission of the Outreach Program is the same: to open our doors to people in need and offer what help we can.

Daily Service Hours:

We Assist With:

Obtaining Georgia identification cards
Obtaining birth certificates (most states & countries)
Transportation (MARTA assistance for medical and work related purposes only)
Emergency Groceries (ONLY with a current rent receipt, lease or utility bill in guest's name. Available between 9 am and 11 am.) ID also required. No appointment needed.
Limited medical needs (eye exams, glasses, limited dental)
Referrals (for clothing, legal services, shelter, mental health and drug/alcohol recovery programs)
Central Winter Night Shelter (Men only - Guests for the shelter MUST be referred by the Center)
Coffee, tea or water with a snack each morning
Pastoral Counseling (when requested)

Other Services & Programs:

The “Main Frame: Computers for Change” is a computer learning and job readiness center which is dedicated to the memory of Ken Main, one of the OAC’s most devoted volunteers. Unlike similar programs offered by other organizations, the Main Frame serves the guests of the OAC without imposing additional restrictions related to participation in long-term programs, residency requirements, addiction status or socio-economic class. Guests may take basic computer courses, prepare resumes and complete job applications online and search for employment. The program also offers job readiness programs such as interviewing skills and managing personal finances. Other services are also available. For complete information, please contact the Rev. Doris Barton, Main Frame Manager at (404) 601-3150.

The goal of the “The Exodus Journey Program (TEJ) is to serve guests in moving out of homelessness and to make a lasting change in their lives. The guests of the TEJ must therefore be willing and able to make this positive change. The program is designed for those people experiencing homelessness who just need a jump-start in order to get back on their feet. The guiding principle for the TEJ is that its goal can best be achieved by ministering to the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. The TEJ must remain flexible so that if other needs become apparent, they can be incorporated into the program.

By removing the worries of shelter, food, clothing, and transportation, the guests will be able to focus on their goals of recovery, employment, and housing. Once employed, the guests will be able to get the rest that they need in order to work each day and will be able to save money for their transition into permanent housing. For this reason it is necessary the guests have the opportunity to participate in the program for a sufficient length of time, even after they have gained employment. Another aspect of the stability necessary for permanent employment, which the TEJ would provide, is access to voice mail and a mailing address.

Each guest in the TEJ will have a personal counselor with whom they will meet not less than once a week at a scheduled time. The mentor will work with the guest on identifying and overcoming any obstacles to employment and housing. They will assist the guest in networking for job opportunities and providing any services to meet needs that may arise while the guest is a part of the program. Again, flexibility is essential to the TEJ. We recognize that all the guests will have unique stories and situations that require individualized care and ministry. The program is designed to leave room for growth and adaptation. Mentors will be OAC staff, volunteers or interns who have satisfactorily completed the necessary training and approved by the Operations Manager.

The services and programs of the “Main Frame: Computers for Change” are an essential component of this program.

For information about "The Exodus Journey", contact Kimberly Parker, Operations Manager at (404) 659-7119.

For information about contributing to the work of the Outreach Center through gifts of money, or service, contact Kimberly Parker, Operations Manager, at (404) 659-7119, between the hours of 9:00AM & 12:30PM.