About Us
Solomon’s Temple is a 130 residential unit facility for homeless women and their children. The amenities include a playground, basketball court, gazebo and walking trails, designed to offer families in transition a peaceful setting to find stability.
The core programs at Solomon’s Temple are designed to guide homeless families toward lives of independence. Thinking about it differently changes outcomes. Our approach is unique within our field, utilizing a family coaching model instead of the case management system. Under this approach, families are not managed, but rather manage the execution of their own goals, with the family coach providing supplemental support.
Solomon’s Temple cultivates executive functioning skills within each family to help individuals navigate stressful situations. Learning about this helps them to:
- contextualize situations;
- think critically about next steps;
- make productive decisions;
- effectively execute on a plan;
- take control of life events.
More About the Underlying Causes of Homelessness
There are many misconceptions about homelessness that can make it seem like someone else’s problem. Here are a few that we encounter in pursuit of our mission:
False: Homelessness is a choice.
Homeless people, especially women and children, are more likely to suffer from domestic violence, untreated physical and mental health issues, as well as substance abuse (BMC Public Health, 2020). In order to address the precursors of homelessness and break the cycle, these people need tools to help build a better future.
False: Homeless people don’t want to work.
In many cases, homelessness is a sign of underlying issues that cannot be fixed simply by covering them with a roof. We work with our women to pursue education and certifications that make them desirable candidates for employment. We also provide child care while they are in our care, giving them peace of mind.
False: Homeless people have somewhere else to go.
Chronic homelessness also overlaps with generational homelessness, so many women in our shelter first experienced homelessness as children. While many have a system for rotating between shelters and the couches of friends and family, there is no stable home awaiting their return.
Our Founder’s Simple Mission to Solve Complex Problems
For years, I had wanted to be a catalyst for reducing homelessness in our community. As a native of Atlanta, I was constantly reminded about the suffering of my neighbors living on the streets. Regular people, just like you and I, who for a variety of reasons, found themselves without a safe place to call home.
More than 40 percent of Atlanta’s homeless population is comprised of women and children. According to The National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH), more than 58,000 children in Georgia are homeless.
The reality is that there are simply not enough safe shelters available to assist women with children in getting back on their feet when they fall down. Imagine the toll it takes on the human spirit to be on the streets with your children and have no place to call home. Women with children are especially susceptible to homelessness, and the consequences are generational.
As a board member of the Atlanta Homeless Continuum of Care, I know all too well about the devastating impact that homelessness has on our community. So, in May 2014, through a partnership with Fulton County and Invest Atlanta, I was able to realize my dream of service, as Solomon’s Temple opened its doors.
My vision for Solomon’s Temple is to create a safe haven for vulnerable women with their children who are struggling to move from homelessness to stability. I believe that by working cooperatively we can ensure that no woman is left on the streets with her children.
~ Founder Solomon Smallwood
For years, I had wanted to be a catalyst for reducing homelessness in our community. As a native of Atlanta, I was constantly reminded of the suffering of my neighbors living on the streets. Regular people, just like you and I, who for a variety of reasons, found themselves without a safe place to call home.
Our Founder’s Simple Mission to Solve Complex Problems
For years, I had wanted to be a catalyst for reducing homelessness in our community. As a native of Atlanta, I was constantly reminded about the suffering of my neighbors living on the streets. Regular people, just like you and I, who for a variety of reasons, found themselves without a safe place to call home.
According to homeless census data estimated, more than 10,000 people in metro Atlanta experience homelessness on any given night, with more than 40 percent being women and children. According to a study by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (GDCA) about homelessness, more than 75,000 Georgians are without shelter at some time during the year. According to The National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH), more than 58,000 children in Georgia are homeless.
The reality is that there are simply not enough safe shelters available to assist women with children in getting back on their feet when they fall down. Imagine the toll it takes on the human spirit to be on the streets with your children and have no place to call home. Women with children are especially susceptible to homelessness, and the consequences are generational.
As a board member of the Atlanta Homeless Continuum of Care, I know all too well the devastating impact that homelessness has on our community. So, in May 2014, through a partnership with Fulton County and Invest Atlanta, I was able to realize my dream of service, as Solomon’s Temple opened its doors.
My vision for Solomon’s Temple is to create a safe haven for vulnerable women with their children who are struggling to move from homelessness to stability. I believe that by working cooperatively we can ensure that no woman is left on the streets with her children.
~ Founder Solomon Smallwood
Support Programs
Our Programs and Pillars of Support
Solomon’s Temple employs a wrap-around approach, using advocacy, training, service bundling, and one-on-one family coaching to cultivate productive attitudes and behaviors while stabilizing lives.
Emergency/Transitional Supportive Housing
Our one-acre shelter provides care for as many as 130 homeless women and their families at any given time. As compared to the industry standard of 90 days, Solomon’s Temple offers up to six months of residency to improve long-term outcomes. We are also committed to keeping family units together, keeping teenage boys with their mothers instead of sending them to the men’s shelter. During their time on-site, families are assigned private, dormitory-style rooms and granted full access to the indoor and outdoor common spaces. Meals and child care are provided, as well as enhanced cleaning services by our volunteers.
Our on-site supportive services help families gain self-sustainability that empowers the entire family with the tools to break the cycle of homelessness.
Family Empowerment Institute
The key to breaking the cycle of homelessness is by adopting new habits through education. Our Family Empowerment Institute provides resources to every member of the family, which encourage:
- financial literacy and savings;
- healthy child-parent relationships;
- job readiness and career prep;
- entrepreneurship training;
- academic enrichment;
- health and wellness.
These topics, combined with social activities, are designed to teach families effective life skills. When delivered over the course of their stay plus aftercare, these resources stick with the families, supporting a return to permanent housing.
Seeds for Success
Most children growing up in a homeless environment lack the resources and bandwidth to succeed in school, develop healthy relationships, or break the generational cycle of dependency. We provide a broad range of holistic support services for children, including:
- Child Care: This age-appropriate service helps ensure that children spend time in safe, healthy environments while the parents pursue training and employment.
- Academic Enrichment: Atlanta Public and Fulton County Schools provide on-site tutors on a daily basis while school is in session.
- Social Development: These courses are designed to encourage healthy affirmation of self and others.
- Financial Literacy and Savings: The Junior Achievement Financial Literacy program teaches youth how to generate and manage wealth, enrich their communities through entrepreneurship and job creation, and how to apply those skills to the workplace.
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship: Youth are taught the lessons of starting and running a business, including executive mindset, daily tasks, and financial management.
- Nutrition and Physical Wellness: Hands-on learning, inquiry and experimentation that motivates kids to enjoy fruits and vegetables, as well as promote physical activity and outdoor experiences.
