OUR MISSION

Athens Area Homeless Shelter provides collaborative, comprehensive services to homeless individuals and families working toward sustainable independence.

The Athens Area Homeless Shelter, Inc. (AAHS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving homeless individuals and families in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia. AAHS was established in 1986 and was formally incorporated in 1990.

OUR HISTORY

In December 1986, a ten-cot facility provided by the Athens Housing Authority opened its doors in response to an overwhelming need for emergency shelter in the community. Volunteers supplied cots, blankets, and a safe haven from the streets on a one-night basis for those in need.

Growing community support resulted in an expansion of AAHS and in 1988, in addition to hiring full-time staff, a new facility was acquired: an 18-bed facility for homeless persons in need of securing shelter more than one night at a time. During this time of growth, AAHS expanded its services to include three meals a day, laundry facilities, clothing assistance, and basic crisis intervention.

Barber Street facility opening: December 1990. In the mid-1990s, AAHS began to respond to the need for shelter of homeless families. The Shelter began to house three families, and continued to serve homeless individuals in two dorm areas of the facility. The JobTREC Program was adopted by AAHS from Athens Technical College, expanding the AAHS work into the Athens community to support homeless individuals not sheltered on Barber Street. Since its inception, JobTREC (Training, Referral, Education, and Case Management) has served more than 3,500 homeless individuals in Athens.

Athens Area Homeless Shelter believes that every child deserves safe and stable housing. We cannot remain silent while Black families in our community lack safety and stability due to systemic racism that is especially apparent in the housing industry.

Learn more about our organization's efforts to listen, learn, and act here.

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Join us as a volunteer in support of families.

OUR FUTURE

At Athens Area Homeless Shelter (AAHS), we are building a future where no child grows up without a safe place to call home. Family homelessness is one of the most urgent and overlooked crises in Georgia—with over 40,000 childrenexperiencing homelessness each year. Inadequate housing is now one of the leading causes of family separation, with nearly 20% of foster care placements in Georgia involving housing instability as a contributing factor.

This is not simply a housing issue—it's a systemic challenge that requires bold, community-based solutions. Our work is focused on closing these gaps and transforming the way our community responds to family homelessness. This work is rooted in our role within the Athens Resource Center for Hope (ARCH)—a collaborative initiative with Athens Wellness Clinic, Family Promise of Athens, and Advantage Behavioral Health Systems. ARCH was formed to address systemic service gaps through coordinated, resource-rich programming made possible by the Navy Supply Corps School Base Reuse Plan.

Since the opening of ARCH Village in 2016, AAHS has sheltered over 100 families, including single fathers and two-parent households, helping them move from crisis to stability. In 2019, AAHS launched the Bridge to Home program from the ARCH Village, expanding our capacity to meet the growing need. We now provide:

Emergency shelter for 7 families at a time, offering a safe, supportive environment as they stabilize and begin planning for the future.
Transitional housing for 7 additional families, focused on helping parents pursue educational and income growth goals that lead to long-term stability.
Rental assistance for an average of 12 families at a time, preventing homelessness before it starts and helping families remain housed while building financial security.

Looking ahead, our vision is clear: we are committed to innovative, family-centered solutions that help parents build careers, access education, and move into safe, permanent housing. We believe that when families are supported, children thrive, and communities grow stronger.

AAHS is not just responding to homelessness—we are reimagining what’s possible for families in Athens-Clarke County and beyond. We hope you'll join us.