In July 2022, Sara Alexander found herself experiencing overwhelming loss. The Cumming resident had lost her home, her job and, temporarily, her two children.
“I had lost all of my security — mentally, physically, emotionally,” Alexander said.
With a sheet of paper that listed references, front and back, for places where she might be able to seek assistance, Alexander began reaching out. As one resource after another was unable to help, Alexander found she had reached the very last place on the list — Home of Hope, a Buford-based organization that seeks to end the cycle of homelessness for single mothers and their children.
Home of Hope’s staff said yes to helping Alexander and her children. On Oct. 20, 2022, they entered the transitional living program through which families receive free room and board, customized plans to become independent and life skills training to set them up for success after finishing the program.
“The support, the guidance, the structure, the environment in general. They were that stepping stone in order for me to get back up on my feet again,” Alexander said. “They were that place that accepted us in. They gave us a chance and they are the biggest blessing I had encountered during that experience. I am very, very grateful for them.”
Home of Hope is what its name says — it’s a safe home that gives homeless single mothers hope that they can use the tools provided to build better lives for themselves and their children. Through the transitional living program, families receive resources based on their individual needs to help them become independent. The program focuses on education, career preparation, parenting and financial planning.
A decade of moving in a new direction
Maureen Kornowa stepped into the role of executive director of Gwinnett Children’s Shelter a decade ago and began an immediate transition into a new model of serving children, one that took a multigenerational approach to ending homelessness as the largest segment of the homeless population in Gwinnett in 2014 was homeless children and their mothers. The state-contracted shelter for abused, abandoned, and neglected children closed in May 2014 and the new program began.
“It was meant to help a greater number of children in a more impactful way,” Kornowa said. “We had a blank canvas and we got to paint it. What worked, what didn’t work. What we needed to change, we changed it.”
The new program started with five families residing in the Jean Kirby Bowmen Home on the Buford campus. In the first year with the new model in place, the program served 17 families and 39 children. In August 2015, the first mother graduated from the transitional living program.
Two years later, the Gwinnett Children’s Shelter was renamed Home of Hope.
Since implementing its new model in 2014, Home of Hope has helped more than 350 families and 1,100 children.
“It was just God-ordered steps and God’s good work,” Kornowa said of the transition to a new model of helping homeless mothers and their children find hope.
The program now has 15 full- and part-time staff members. It operates with an executive team, a group of staff members, a four-member executive board and a nine-member board of directors. Home of Hope relies heavily on donor support — 30.7% of funding comes from special events, such as the annual charity golf tournament and a yearly gala; 22.9% is contributed by individuals; 21.4% is generated through grants; 17.7 percent of funding is from businesses and other sources; and 7.3% of support comes from churches.
“It does take a village to raise a child, and we have an amazing village here in Gwinnett,” Kornowa said.
“The next 10 years from Home of Hope, we’d like to see more collaborative efforts in the community with other like-minded entities (and) expand programs through collaborative efforts with other nonprofit leaders,” Kornowa said. “We’d like to play in the sandbox of affordable housing, if that were possible.”
Three lives changed
On May 16, Alexander received the keys to her new residence, a renovated three-bedroom, one-bath townhome through the Buford Housing Authority, which provides affordable housing to low-income families. Alexander and her two sons, 11 and 5, are settling into their new home and preparing for a hope-filled future.
“I’m on a budget, I’ve saved money, and I’ll be able to manage and successfully continue to save and plan,” the 32-year-old said. “I have goals for the future. I’m really excited for this.”
Alexander is also excited to share her Home of Hope story.
“They were that place that accepted us in,” she said. “They gave us a chance and they are the biggest blessing I had encountered during that experience. I am very, very grateful for them.
“Gratitude is something I’ve gained through this whole experience,” Alexander said, “tons of gratitude.”
