Anyone who has ever put together a monthly budget is probably familiar with the idea of spending categories. 

There are expenses we can adjust, such as subscription services, shopping, and other discretionary items, and then there are those we have little control over (rent/mortgage, utilities, car payments, insurance, etc).

The amount we commit each month to these fixed categories dictates how much is left over to pay for other necessary expenses, capitalize on opportunities, and respond to unexpected emergencies.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, anyone devoting more than 30% of their income to housing is considered “cost burdened” and may struggle to pay for other necessities, such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care.

An Unequal Burden

Last year, a majority of tenant households in 21 U.S. states were spending 30% or more of their incomes on rent and utilities (compared to 7 states in 2019). According to an article from WABE, Georgia had one of the highest increases in cost-burdened tenants, rising from 48.4% in 2022 to 53.7% in 2023.

“The impact of high-cost living places even more financial burden on families at the margins of low income and poverty,” says Alison Johnson, executive director of the Housing Justice League. “When we do not meet the needs of cost-burdened families, their cost-of-living budgets extract from other important life costs, such as healthcare, food, transportation, and childcare.

This is particularly significant for many Black Atlantans, whose capacity for building wealth is impacted by structural systems of oppression. For these cost-burdened households, financial mobility is critical for breaking free of the structural determinants that impact our communities and limit Black wealth. 

And without it, the cycle may be doomed to repeat itself.  

Lightening the Load

Our Lokey Help Center promotes financial mobility in our community by assisting cost-burdened neighbors with things like rent, mortgage, and utility bills. 

Click below to learn more about this and other services offered through the Lokey Help Center.

On Friday, September 6, we’ll be partnering with the Atlanta Community Food Bank to host another free mobile food market at Emmaus House. We’ll be welcoming families from Atlanta and surrounding communities as they receive 30-40 lbs of assorted food items and fresh produce free of charge.

Depending on families’ circumstances and where they live, accessing healthy foods isn’t always easy. You can help us combat food insecurity and other barriers facing our community by donating to Emmaus House. Your support makes a world of difference for the people and communities we serve.

School is back and that means Youth on the Move is starting again on Monday, August 19. 

Every day after school, middle and high school students gather in Ezzard Hall to check in with staff members, receive homework assistance, and participate in enrichment activities. They also explore college and career opportunities through a series of presentations and workshops.

Youth on the Move gives students the support they need to excel in school, explore interests, and prepare for success as adults. 

We’re currently seeking positive and encouraging volunteers to help students with their homework, as well as career and college prep speakers. Click below to learn how you can help empower our students this school year.

We’re blessed to work with an incredible group of volunteers who are passionate about serving our community. Some of them have worked with us for quite a long time. So this year, we thought: “What better way to celebrate National Nonprofit Day than to lift up one of our longtime volunteers, Rev. Derrick Henderson?”

Reverend Derrick Henderson is a licensed and ordained Baptist minister and has worked in and around Emmaus House for more than 40 years. 

There and Back Again

Rev. Derrick first discovered Emmaus House in 1979 when his cousins invited him to attend summer camp. Afterward, he began attending the chapel and Father Ford eventually asked him to direct the Study Hall. He would go on to work with the Poverty Rights Office and there provide direct assistance to neighbors in the community.

In his twenties, Rev. Derrick moved away to pursue ordination in the Baptist tradition. During this time, he led a number of churches as a Baptist minister but still visited Emmaus House when he could. In 2005, however, he had what he described as “an epiphany”: God was calling him back to Emmaus House to serve.

A Helping Hand

Since then, Rev. Derrick has continued to be an active and committed member of the Emmaus House Chapel, serving on various committees and leading many activities, although he has also served in many of our programs, primarily as a volunteer. 

He has assisted with our Summer programs (prior to the Freedom School), driven the Emmaus House van, led Bible study for the Seniors 555 group, volunteered with the food pantry as well as our holiday programs—whatever is needed, Rev. Derrick has always been there to help.

He has also comforted a number of families in their time of grief, leading several homegoing services for neighbors in Peoplestown. 

Lighting The Way

Rev. Derrick believes that to whom much has been given, much is expected. Over the years, he has continued to explore what it means to give back to those less fortunate, constantly asking himself, “How can I help?”

He’s grateful for the many opportunities he’s had through Emmaus House to lend a helping hand in the community. 

“Emmaus House is the lighthouse on the hill,” he says. And he hopes it will continue to be that light in the future. As long as it is, he continues to be ready, willing, and able to serve. 

As our Emmaus House Fellowship program wraps up next month, we couldn’t be more proud of all that our fellows have done and accomplished these past six months.

This six-month, cohort-based program seeks to develop the next generation of leaders by allowing young adults to learn about community challenges and add their voice to community-driven opportunities.

Each of our fellows pursues a different focus, and as they prepare to take the knowledge they’ve gained and apply it to their own lives and impacts, we wanted to check in to see what the past six months have meant to them.

Laurel looks forward to developing more targeted outreach strategies that connect community members to vital resources and opportunities. Inspired by local collaborations like the Rick McDevitt Youth Center's "compost bucket program,” she also plans to explore partnership opportunities, organize job opportunity events, and continue to advocate for policies and programs that address the needs of underserved communities.

Marcus plans to organize housing fair projects and workshops for people who need assistance finding housing or filling out housing applications. He also plans to collaborate with organizations that provide housing support, creating informational sessions that educate community members about their rights and available resources.

Click below to learn more about the Emmaus House Fellowship program.

Summer is an exciting time for children. Many of us have fond memories of how we occupied ourselves during the months when school was out. But for many children, schools provide an important safety net in terms of security, learning, guardianship, and also food.

For students who rely on school lunches and other nutritional opportunities, summer can be a time of great stress and hunger.

Summer Food Options

To address food insecurity during the summer, the Georgia Department of Education hosts the Seamless Summer Option: this allows districts to provide meals to students during the summer and other vacation periods. It provides free summer meals to children under 18 as well as students over 18 with mental or physical disabilities.

For residents of Peoplestown and surrounding areas, the Emmaus House Food Pantry provides our neighbors with healthy food options and the CDF Freedom School provides young scholars with nutritional opportunities for six weeks during the summer.

Serving Peoplestown and Beyond

On Saturday, June 29, we will also be partnering with the Atlanta Community Food Bank to host a free mobile food market at Emmaus House. This is a new monthly pop-up where families from Atlanta and surrounding communities can come to receive 30-40 lbs of assorted food items and fresh produce.

Click below to learn more about how we’re addressing food insecurity in our community this summer.

Community has been a vital part of our work since its earliest days. From the civil rights movement to the uncertainty of the past few years, the reason our work has continued to evolve and move forward is because it isn’t grounded in a single idea or agenda, but in a place, a people, a community.

A Legacy of Action

In 1967, Father Austin Ford moved into a dilapidated two-story home in Peoplestown along with two nuns and a seminary student. There, he began to think of ways that he could help the community.

He set up an after-school program, transportation for family members to visit loved ones at Reidsville State Prison, chapel services, and hot meals. Over the years, our work and programming continued to evolve along with our neighbors’ needs.

In 1970, the Poverty Rights Office opened to champion poor and underserved families who were facing discrimination.

In 1972, Emmaus House played a strategic role in desegregating Atlanta schools, recruiting parents from the community to monitor buses carrying students to schools on the Northside.

In 1980, Emmaus House advocates helped overturn an early rule requiring residents to purchase their food stamps.

Together

Everything we do is only possible with help from our community.

At the Freedom School, we begin each morning with Harambee, a daily ritual that includes singing, call and response, guest readers, and more. In Swahili, Harambee means “let’s pull together,” and this idea guides both our Freedom School and our organization as a whole.

As a place-based mission, our work is never finished—old needs give way to new ones. But with your support, we will continue to help lift up residents of Peoplestown and surrounding areas no matter what the future brings.

We are so grateful for our community.

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to our Freedom School Fundraising Campaign—and to one very generous donor who agreed to match all donations up to $30,000!

With your help, we were able to raise $60,022 to support young scholars in our community. We talk a lot about literacy during the summer, but Freedom School is much more than that.

In addition to mentorship and literacy training, your support helps provide youth in our community with summer nutrition options, quality enrichment, and a safe, positive environment where they can learn and thrive for six weeks during the summer.

Thanks to your support, this year we were able to expand the program’s capacity by 10—a 14% increase. Your donations will allow us to continue making this critical program accessible to more youth in our community.

Thank you so much for your support. It truly does make a difference.

We’re excited to announce that we have a new Interim Executive Director at Emmaus House, Joe Iarocci.

Joe and his wife, Laura, have three grown children and are both longtime members of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip. In addition to serving in many leadership roles with the church, Joe has helped lead several large nonprofits across the country.

He recently completed an assignment as Interim Chief Executive Officer of MedShare, a global healthcare nonprofit based in Atlanta, and has also served as interim CEO for Gray Matters Capital, a social impact investment firm, and CEO of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

Prior to these roles, Joe worked with CARE USA for thirteen years as General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief of Staff. Care USA is one of the world’s largest international nongovernmental organizations dedicated to ending extreme poverty.

With a background in business law, Joe received his A.B. magna cum laude from Brown University and his J.D. from the Cornell Law School. Joe also holds a Masters of Theological studies degree from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.

“Joe’s faith and gifts will serve Emmaus House well during this interim period,” says Bishop Robert Wright of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. “I thank God for Joe, Emmaus House, and the work ahead.”

In addition to his ample qualifications, Joe also has a personal connection to Emmaus House. His wife Laura’s mother, Dr. Marilyn P. Dornbush, volunteered at Emmaus House in its early days under the leadership of Rev. Austin Ford.

“The mission of Emmaus House is as important as ever,” says Joe. “I am thankful for the chance to serve this wonderful organization in my new call.”

We’re very grateful to have him on board and are excited to continue our work under his leadership while we search for a permanent executive director. Please join us in welcoming Joe Iarocci!