Where Home and Hope Begin Again

Genesis Joy House (CFC # 86450) started when a local military spouse in Warner Robins, GA recognized that there was a growing population of homelessness within the female veteran community in the Southeast region of the country. Committed to being a source for change, Margaret Flowers, began to help by linking homeless female veterans up with food, clothing, shelter, and other resources to support their needs.

Within a year, she had pulled nearly 30 veterans from homeless encampments in the woods and streets and set them on track to begin to rebuild their lives. Today, Genesis Joy House is a transitional homeless shelter dedicated to providing continued support for homeless female veterans and other veterans in need. The shelter houses six homeless female veterans at a time for an average of two months while they participate in programs designed to get them back on their feet and into a self-sustainable life. We are equipped to house 36 women annually.

Programs we provide include mental health counseling, life skills training, financial literacy classes and vocational courses. All are offered on our campus at our education/fellowship building and offsite at our community partners’ facilities.

We also offer these programs on a day-only basis to male veterans and others in the community who are struggling financially. However, only female veterans may reside at our transitional homeless shelter.

Please consider making your CFC donation to Genesis Joy House. Every donation makes a difference in the lives of a veteran:

$10: Healthy food for a day; $25: Transportation to a job interview; $50: Employment training for a homeless female veteran; $100: Gives one homeless female veteran a place to stay for one month; $500: Security deposit and first month’s rent towards self-sufficiency and provides outreach resources to the community.

Why Do Homeless Female Vets Need Specialized Support?
Genesis Joy House provides transitional shelter specifically for homeless female veterans because this is a grossly underserved population that often falls through the cracks of service provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Unfortunately, female veterans are four times more likely to become homeless than male veterans and are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless veteran population.

Many of these women suffer from the same issues that contribute to the cycle of poverty and homelessness as male vets, including PTSD and traumatic brain injury. However, females also face mental and emotional trauma of a more intimate nature. One in four female vets reports experiencing military sexual trauma while serving our country. This is the term the VA uses for sexual misconduct ranging from sexual harassment to assault.

For these women, entering the typical homeless shelter that houses both sexes is not a safe option and prevents them from seeking help. In fact, because of these safety fears, many homeless female vets would rather sleep in their car or a tent in the woods than go to a shelter that houses men.

Our objective is to provide our residents with the skills needed to find full-time jobs and permanent housing.

Numbers Served
We are equipped to provide transitional housing and programming to 36women annually. We also offer day support programming to the overall homeless community and have served and coordinated community services for over 5,000 members of this population since 2011. We receive on average, 700 calls a year from homeless or financially struggling individuals seeking our help. We either directly provide services to these individuals or coordinate support services for them through our broad network of community partners.

Our Programs
• ADULT EDUCATION & ADULT COMPETENCY
• ADDICTION RECOVERY
• PTSD TREATMENT
• ANGER MANAGEMENT
• JOB READINESS
• LIFE SKILLS CLASSES
• FINANCIAL LITERACY
• CAREER TRANSITION
• RENT ASSISTANCE

Partners
We have partnerships and collaborative programs with the following national, state and local organizations and initiatives:

• US Department of Veterans Affairs, Supportive Services for Veteran Families
• Middle GA Consortium/Middle GA Workforce Development Board
• GA Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Services
• Veterans Education Career Transition Resource (VECTR)
• Houston County Human Needs Coalition
• City of Warner Robins
• Volunteers of America
• GA Department of Community Affairs
• Mercer University Educational Opportunity Center