Research Locations

4.3.1 Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless

The Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless (MATFH) is an example of a large shel- ter that was originally able to coordinate all needs of the homeless in Metro Atlanta. The

MATFH Day Service Center provides aid to individuals experiencing homelessness in obtaining permanent, affordable housing and livable-wage employment. In addition the MATFH provides workshops, job training and employment referrals, vision screenings, addiction recovery place- ment, assistance with social security or securing IDs, HIV testing, referrals for medical and psy- chiatric care, and basic shelter from the elements. Counselors work with clients who have a vari- ety of needs, such as those who have recently relocated to Atlanta, those with disabilities or who need addiction treatment, veterans, or those who may be facing eviction (Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless 2007).

The MATFH was once the epicenter for homeless outreach coordination, but has since been relegated to an “abayence” center where upwards of 500 homeless individuals are housed

with no explicit trajectory. Started in the early 1980s, the MATFH slowly grew as it garnered resources and support from private and public funding. In the 90s, the MATFH acquired a dona- tion of a block long structure located on the corners of Peachtree Street and Pine Street, in the very heart of downtown Atlanta (Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless). Soon after this, governmental approval of the MATFH started to wane as governmental officials began to ques- tion the appropriateness of a location that serves and attracts between 200 and 1,000 homeless individuals per day so close to tourist attractions such as the Fox Theatre, The Varsity, The World of Coke, and the Georgia Aquarium .

Officials were afraid that high visibility of homelessness would deter tourists, and thus revenue, from coming into the city. It was not long before the City of Atlanta cut off all funding for the MATFH and attempted to close the building on Peachtree Street and Pine Street. For the past several years, the MATFH and the City of Atlanta have been embroiled in legal battles as to the validity of the building on the corner of Peachtree and Pine. Atlanta officials have nearly closed down the MATFH on several occasions, citing poor living conditions at the shelter. The MATFH counters that it is unable to provide maximum services because of the City of Atlanta and Central Atlanta Progress conspired to cut off public and private funding through image def- amation. The City also claims that the MATFH perpetuates homelessness by allowing homeless persons who are still using drugs and alcohol to stay at the shelter indefinitely. The MATFH responds that it wouldn’t have to provide shelter, if there was adequate affordable housing in Metro Atlanta. The MATFH continues to operate and serve the homeless, albeit at a diminished level (for complete information on MATFH’s legal history, please see Carter 2011).

4.3.2 The Open Door Community

The Open Door Community is a residential Christian community located near downtown Atlanta. The community consists of homeless individuals, ministers, students, lawyers, parents, and business people. It is a radical Christian community dedicated to ending racism, sexism, heterosexism, and the death penalty. It was founded in 1982 by Eduard Loring and his wife Mur- phy Davis as a partnership ministry with the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. Ed and Murphy both are pastors in the Presbyterian Church and received graduate training at Vanderbilt and Colum- bia Divinity School respectively.

The ODC draws inspiration and guidance from the Catholic Worker Movement of Dorthoy Day, Jubilee Partners of Comer, GA and the Koinonia Community model of the 1960s

(Open Door Community 2012). The community offers hospitality to the homeless and outreach ministry to imprisoned individuals. Central to the mission of the ODC is proclaiming the “Be- loved Community” through various practices. According to Ed (Interview, February 21, 2012) the “Beloved Community” is a phrase first created by African American theologian, Howard Thurman, and then used by Dr. Martin Luther King to refer to a way of life where “everyone is fed, everybody’s sober and if you got addictions you can get resources to deal with [them]….” It

is similar to the Hebrew term shalom, which refers to the fullness of life, where metaphorically, everybody has “a house, vine and fig tree” (Interview with Ed Loring, February 21, 2012).

The ODC houses several dozen men and women, including formerly homeless individu- als, who work to create a community atmosphere accepting of all individuals. The ODC is founded on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching which mandate not only direct fellowship, service and outreach, but also speaking out against structural inequalities that result from polit i- cal-economic injustices (Steffan 2011). The community attempts to be inclusive of all members of society, but has a preferential option for the poor and oppressed. Thus the primary way the ODC proclaims the “Beloved Community” involves building loving relationships with the home- less and those who are in prison. While Ed (Interview, Feburary 21, 2012) acknowledges that there are fissures that exist within the community, such as racism and sexism, he claims that the members of the ODC attempt to recognize their sin from a Christian perspective and try to re- place it with love, mercy, justice, and peace. Ed explains that, “it has to do then with the focus and the intentionality of our lives.”

In addition, the Open Door has developed into a center of learning and theological study, a place of worship, a publishing house, a locus for activism and advocacy, a place of spiritual guidance and retreat, and a home in which to raise children. Quality health care for the homeless

is offered at the Open Door’s Harriet Tubman Medical Clinic and Soul Foot Care Clinic. Volun-

tary doctors and medical students staff the clinic and save lives in the process. For the poor and uninsured, minor illnesses can quickly spiral out of control, while major disease remains untreat- ed until it is too late. Foot problems are agonizing for the homeless. The Open Door’s free clin-

ic intervenes to attempt to alleviate some of this suffering (Open Door Community).

In contrast to most other advocacy groups and service providers that formed in response to homelessness in Atlanta in the 1980s, including the MATFH, the ODC refused to accept pub- lic money from the city, state, or federal government. The ODC continues to refuse public assis- tance, instead relying on private donors. The ODC values its political and institutional autonomy and has the clear intention of not compromising or collaborating with the government. The ODC is overtly positioned in permanent opposition to the city’s political and business elites (Steffan

2011).

I experienced this first hand when I attended a powerful vigil in the hours before the exe- cution of Troy Anthony Davis on the steps of the State Capitol Building in Atlanta, largely di- rected by Ed and other dedicated members from the Open Door Community. During this rally, Ed challenged ingrained American sentiments including the need to be number one, the need to have knowledge that surpasses our neighbor, and the need to compete and beat those around us. He explained that this leads us to believe our happiness is rooted in an idealized self, in achieve- ment and status, rather than in honest relationships and communion with God. Ed stated that the quest for this idealized self leads to a slow, unconscious death that is supported and encouraged by unjust political institutions and corporate-consumer sentiment.