Why?
Atlanta needs the Friendship Center because every human being deserves to live a life of dignity. All of us need, not only food, shelter, and healthcare, but also community and purpose.
Adults marginalized by poverty and mental illness are an often neglected and overlooked population. Our society regularly denies the dignity, gifts, and talents of people who are seen as “other,” but at the Friendship Center we believe that every human being thrives within community, and with purpose, and a sense of belonging. The Friendship Center is an inclusive community where all people accept and support one another on good days, bad days, and everything in between. No matter what, we acknowledge the inherent value of each person.
MISSION
The Friendship Center is an inclusive community that promotes the mental, physical, and spiritual well being of adults marginalized by mental health challenges and by poverty.
VALUES
Community: We are an open and accepting community that accepts each other as we are. This is a place to be known and loved.
Well-being: We facilitate mutual support in recovery, we help each other to meet our basic needs, and we educate and advocate for our physical health and the health of others.
The Inherent Value of Each Person: Each person bears inherent value independent of their ability to function in a specific way. We encourage spirituality, friendship, artistic expression, and the dignity of work.
Belonging: Our goal is not only to open our doors to anyone and everyone, but also to foster a sense that people belong here. There’s room for all kinds of kinds to find a place among us.
How?
The Friendship Center is a transformative community directed by its community members. The Friendship Center is a community of mutuality in which we strive to create a mentality of ‘us together’ instead of the mentality of ‘those who provide’ and ‘those who receive’.
The Friendship Center offers programing on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am – 1pm. We serve approximately 60 participants per program day. Most participants live in poverty with severe and chronic mental illness. Many have a secondary diagnosis of developmental disabilities, autism, or addictive disorders. Our community is located in Southeast Metro Atlanta. Our demographics are roughly half Caucasian, half African-American; half male, half female; and most often between the ages of 25 and 65. Nearly 30% of our community is either chronically or episodically homeless.
