Hagar's House
Hagar's House provides up to 30 nights of emergency shelter and support services for women with children. The shelter was originally founded in 1985 as The Holy Trinity Shelter for Women and Children. After being closed for several years while a new facility was purchased and renovated, the shelter reopened in 2001 as Hagar's House. The facility, which operates only at night, can accommodate up to 30 guests per evening, and each family enjoys a private room and bath. While residing at Hagar's House, families receive housing, two meals per day, laundry facilities, limited transportation assistance, resources and referrals, computer training opportunities, and other services as needed. Hagar's House is unique in that it can accommodate very large families and families with teenage boys - two groups that typically struggle to find emergency shelter.
Families can be referred to Hagar's House by a congregation, another agency, or an advocate, or they may refer themselves. All families that are seeking shelter at Hagar's House must complete a phone screening with the shelter manager. Additionally, they must be homeless as defined by HUD guidelines, and children must be enrolled in school immediately.
Through a generous grant from the A.N.C.H.O.R. program, school-age children are able to enroll in after-school programs provided in the City of Decatur. A favorite activity for children is attending weeknight computer sessions at the Expanding Horizons Technology Center, which is located on site. In addition to the technology services, homework help and literacy services, provided by the DeKalb County Library System, are available at various times during the week. Mothers have the opportunity to attend computer training sessions at the tech center on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.
