115 Church Street • Decatur • 404-377-5365
Inaugurated in 1969 by a handful of Christian churches including Decatur Presbyterian Church, DCM has ministered to Decatur ’s and DeKalb County ’s disadvantaged, homeless, and hungry for 32 years. It receives 47 percent of our Local Witness budget ($21,000 of $45,000). Forty congregations representing 12 Christian denominations support DCM with monetary and volunteer donations.
There are seven specific programs under the DCM umbrella. First of these is an emergency night shelter for women and children called Hagar House. As described in Genesis, Hagar and her son Ishmael were banished by Abraham and Sarah to homelessness in the desert. That event inspired the name for this homeless shelter. The shelter features five large rooms, each with its own bathroom, a kitchen, and a larger room, which serves as a dining facility and common room for guests. It accommodates up to 30 guests, five mothers and five children or less for each family. Guests are referred from the Task Force for the Homeless, an organization that screens applicants for most shelters in the city, and from other agencies with which DCM works. Such referral is required to be accepted for the shelter. During the day, employed mothers work while others seek jobs. School-age children are enrolled in Decatur City Schools, and younger children are usually cared for at Our House, a daytime facility for homeless children. Families stay in the shelter after 5 PM and on weekends.
DCM depends upon its church sponsors and civic-minded groups to adopt the shelter for a week at a time by supplying dinner each night and hosts for a 48-hour period over the weekend. DCM also plans to provide volunteer evening tutors for the children to be enlisted from its 40 supporting churches.
The children crave love and attention. They are curious and their minds fertile. Their gratitude for the attention becomes obvious and rewards a tutor with much satisfaction.
Restoring the homeless to independent housing and self-reliance is DCM’s ultimate goal. To this end DCM has operated a traditional housing program since 1983. One family may live in a transitional home for six months, occasionally up to a year.
Mothers usually come into the program distraught by their homeless state, feeling little self esteem, and perhaps unprepared to cope with life issues. One major difficulty is the widening gap between housing cost and its availability. Debt is another. Tenants are required to take financial management classes. They are urged to take a disciplined approach to managing their resources.
Project Take Charge is another major DCM program. Its goal, to prevent homelessness is accomplished in part by providing emergency funds for rent/mortgage or utility costs. It also operates a pantry to provide supplemental food for families and individuals.
DCM coordinates a four-part financial management workshop (three group sessions and one individual budgeting session) that every recipient of emergency funds is required to attend before or during the assistance process. DCM hopes to extend its money management program to youth and clients of other service agencies. Success is dependent upon available volunteers and resources.
Keeping It Together (KIT) is an adjunct project for the Hagar House and Family Transitional Housing programs. It pays for emergency motel stays for families whose residential placement is not yet available, families needing emergency shelter if Hagar’s House is full, and other situations that warrant this form of assistance.
DCM also sponsors urban mission work teams, an opportunity for college and older high school students to work in a variety of short-term urban ministries while participating in daily reflection sessions.
DCM also sponsors an annual community Thanksgiving service.
The Decatur Cooperative Ministry employs a small but effective staff that is compassionate and mission focused. Two individuals are ordained ministers. The ministry, however, is largely volunteer-driven and depends upon its member churches for volunteer support. There are many ways in this ministry that one can thank God for his love and make a positive community difference.
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