Housing and Education are the most critical crises affecting many

displaced families and children with special needs in the following counties

Spalding, Fayette, Henry, Coweta, Lamar, Pike, Upson, Butts, Troup, Meriwether, Monroe and Macon-Bibb

These 12 counties are the areas we service. There are over 1500 children in the school systems in the 12 county area living in hotels. SHASNA’s  number one goal is to get the children out of the hotels and into stable housing so they will no longer be bullied due to their living situation.

Some of these families have been displaced for several years and have not recovered from a variety of situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic, tornadoes and hurricanes. 

The plight of displaced and unhoused families and veterans is a major concern. There are families of at least 2 adults and as many as 10 children living in single hotel rooms in these 12 counties without opportunities to provide necessary services for their families. Children are transported by school buses from the hotels to attend school and are bullied because of their living situations.

Most of these parents are employed, but unable to manage their circumstances due to the high cost of hotel stays and are barely surviving day to day, living from paycheck to paycheck. These families need assistance to achieve stable housing in order to begin living their lives in a stable environment.

Over 600 Veterans are displaced or unhoused in the 12-county area, with some residing in hotels or in their vehicles. These are our heroes who need a stable environment and some assistance to become self-sufficient.

There are single moms raising children with a variety of special needs such as Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities who are struggling with the costs of after school care to allow them to work and support their families.

Over 7,000 families in the State of Georgia are on the waiting list for services. Some of these families are also displaced and living in hotels.

With SHASNA’s scholarship program children with special needs are able to attend schools that provide the specialized education needed for them to achieve academic success and potential independence in their daily lives. Scholarships assist the parents with after school care and allows children with special needs to participate in a structured environment and receive specialized care, which takes the burden off of the parent.

SHASNA has provided stable housing to families with children in the last several months with over 93 families on the waiting list, which equates to over 700 family members.