COVID-19 transformed our lives and our work. Here are the biggest challenges we faced — and how we changed to meet them.
Challenge
When the Courts shut down, so did our courthouse-based Safe Families Office.
Change
The Courts went virtual — and so did we! From coordinating virtual TPO hearings to delivering health and safety supplies, our Safe Families Office team continued to provide high quality legal and social services remotely to survivors.
clients served
volunteers
Challenge
Thousands of Atlanta families lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families haven’t been able to pay their rent or bills and risk eviction and further crisis — exacerbating Atlanta’s pre-existing affordable housing and healthcare crisis.
Change
To meet the needs of our community, we distributed over $1.8 million in emergency financial assistance to keep families safe in their homes.
distributed directly to clients for emergency financial assistance
Challenge
With the pandemic accelerating, in-person trainings were too risky to host.
Change
We quickly transitioned into live virtual trainings, which actually allowed us to expand the types of training sessions we offer – including virtual lunch and learns, educational webinars, and more.
Challenge
Quickly changing legislation and policies around eviction made an already confusing process all the more difficult for tenants. Thousands of eviction filings were left on the court’s docket, confusion was high over the federal eviction moratorium, and it became harder to connect with our clients.
Change
We dramatically expanded our Housing Court Assistance Center in the Fulton County Courthouse, allowing tenants to receive immediate help in filing their Answers with the court.
Challenge
Clients and volunteers couldn’t safely come to our downtown offices for the Saturday Lawyer Program.
Change
The Saturday Lawyer Program went virtual – which actually led to a lower no-show rate than ever before! Volunteers from around the state (and even some from other parts of the U.S!) jumped in to help us serve Atlanta families in a time of crisis.