welcome
Open 365 days a year, the Clifton Sanctuary is the oldest house-of-worship shelter operating in Atlanta. The staff, volunteers, board of directors and the guests invite you to become acquainted with our ministry through this web site, and we hope you will be moved to action and become a part of this ministry.
JANUARY’S NEEDS OF THE MONTH
IKEA GIFT CARDS (to be used to purchase cabinets for remodeling Joe’s Place)
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Cereal
CLIFTON LIVING IS OFF TO A GREAT START!
One of the goals of the Clifton Board of Directors for the past several years has been to implement a permanent housing program. Recently, with the help of federal funding received through the “Federal Stimulus Plan” this dream has become a reality. Clifton Living – kind of like Southern Living – has recently placed three men in their own homes. The program works like this….to qualify for this program, a guest must have income that meets established federal guidelines (not too much, not too little). An apartment is rented with the guest, along with Clifton, as the lessee. Clifton Living pays the rent and utilities for a three to six month period of time. During this time, the guest is expected to participate in all Clifton programs and at the end of the three to six months, Clifton’s name will come off the lease and the guest will have their own home!
In order to accomplish the goals of this program, we have hired Mayme Grant as our Clifton Living Case Manager. Mayme’s responsibilities are to find apartments that are safe and affordable, qualify the guests into the program, and assist them in budgeting and other skills needed for independent living.
Congratulations to Robin, Mackie, and Quinn for being accepted into the Clifton Living program and we look forward to hearing great things from you all in the future.
Editor’s note: The grant funding does not pay for furniture or other basic necessities. If you have some gently used furniture or kitchen appliances that you would like to donate to someone who’s just starting out, please contact Alice at (404) 373-3253 x1.
I’ll BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, quite literally!!!
It’s always fun around Clifton during the Christmas holidays when many of our guests are reunited with families, some that they haven’t seen for a number of years, and this year was no exception. Our favorite story this Christmas is of our guest, Anthony, who contacted his wife – they hadn’t communicated in almost 20 years – and asked if he could spend Christmas with her. Her response was short and sweet….”We’re still married and I still love you!”. Needless to say, he went home for Christmas – and rumor has it that sparks flew!!! Anthony returned back to Clifton after Christmas and told stories of fun times with his wife, his children, and grandchildren. Anthony was thrilled to tell Alice that he and his wife are working toward permanent reunification, however, he wants to stay at Clifton a little bit longer to finish working on his established goals! Love is definitely in the air!!
There are several guests who also returned home over Christmas so spend time with children, grandchildren, parents, and siblings. Another gentleman was able to go home to see is sister who is living with terminal cancer. These trips home are very intentional and the staff works to ensure that the guest will be welcome at home. Once the trip is arranged, Alice and Prince counsel both the guest and their family as to what they can expect and how to deal with uncomfortable situations that may arise. These stories are our favorite part of Christmas at Clifton and we invite to you drop by and spend time talking with the guys about their time at home!