In the State of Georgia there are over 11,000 families and veterans who are displaced, with 33% in emergency or transitional housing situations. The families and veterans struggle to find the resources they need to get back on their feet and into a stable economic position for themselves and their children. Families and veterans are living in hotels for temporary housing with school buses providing transportation for the children to and from school. Currently there are over 12,000 students in the metro Atlanta area school systems who are in an unhoused situation. Thousands of those families with children live in hotels.

Families and Veterans are displaced and unhoused for a variety of reasons such as the Covid 19 pandemic, tornadoes and hurricanes, lack of resources, and other issues which can be out of their control. The cost of rent or housing has increased astronomically, creating a financial crisis for the families or veterans.

Living in hotels prevents the families from being able to save for the down payment or deposits needed to rent or buy a home. They are struggling and barely surviving from the cost of living in hotels which can exceed over $2,500 per month.

SHASNA provides services, resources, and financial assistance to families, Veterans and families with special needs children who qualify with a combined income of less than $50,000 annually for the SHASNA 10 - Step program.

In Georgia there are over 7,000 youth with special needs and their families waiting for services with up to a six year wait time to qualify, 38% are single-parent families.

There are 254 schools, in Georgia, providing education for children with special needs with an average of 21 students with special needs enrolled in each school. Almost 30% have a disability and almost 28% have a health impairment. Of the 12% of students enrolled in Special Education, 33% of those have a learning disability. Recently there has been an increase in the number of students ages 3y -18y who require services through the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) because of their complex educational requirements.

Almost 65% of special education students, in Georgia, ages 6y-18y spend 80% or more of their time in regular education classrooms. This can cause the student to be marginalized, threatened and bullied, which results in damaged self-esteem, poor academic performance and even bodily harm.

SHASNA provides scholarships to single-parent families who have children with special needs who cannot afford after school care, or send their children to summer camps, which socially benefit the children with special needs.

SHASNA provides 2-year and 4-year scholarships for children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD).

The scholarships will provide the specialized education and training they require where they can achieve success in an environment of understanding for their different needs.

SHASNA has a 10-Step Program that provides services which will help families become self-sufficient and financially stable.

SHASNA provides hope to families, veterans, and families who have children with special needs so that they understand there is a pathway to stability and self-sufficiency.