Motel to home
Families enrolled in the Motel to Home program are provided the push they need to garner permanent housing; to qualify they must have consistent income, at least 1 school-aged child, and have resided in a motel/extended stay for +30 days. CRP provides each family up to $4,000 for their security deposit and first month's rent. Families living in motels often can afford market-rate rentals but get caught in a vicious financial cycle; they hemorrhage funds to pay for the motel but, by the end of the month, do not have enough surplus to pay for a security deposit at a permanent residence. CRP helps to break this cycle and establish a more sustainable life.
Quintasha Swanson
My name is Quintasha Swanson and I am a recent recipient of The Community Restoration Project’s Motel to Home Rental Assistance Program. I must begin by saying that this program does exactly what it says it will do and I can vouch for that. My daughter and I had to move into the Efficiency Lodge in Austell temporarily as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. My work hours were cut and my finances became depleted.
We ended up staying at Efficiency Lodge much longer than I had anticipated-several months I might add but my faith remained strong. I learned about CRP from the rental office at the Efficiency Lodge as they had left flyers for residents who were interested in moving into a more permanent place. I immediately called and got more information about qualifying.
I must say I was bit skeptical at first because it sounded to good to be true. After completing the application and submitting the required documents I was approved. Mr. Hunter and Mr. Boozer were so accommodating, helpful and available to answer my questions. After finding a place and receiving my lease and keys, Mr. Boozer met my landlord and personally delivered the check covering my deposit and first month’s rent. I am so grateful to the Efficiency Lodge for sharing the information about CRP with their tenants and for the Community Restoration Project meeting the needs of families in transition.
Marissa Duncan Story
My daughter and I have been on an incredible journey! Last September due to me losing my job I was given 2 days to leave where I was staying. Since I wasn’t employed I had no place to go. I ended up with the help of others staying at an Extended Stay Motel. I was so thankful to be in a warm place but knew God had more for us. My job now was finding a job and my pursuit was relentless. God blessed me with a great job. We prayed for a home we could call our own but, needed help with the deposit and first month’s rent. We found out about and organization called Community Restoration Project and they blesses us with an opportunity to get a place of our own. I am so thankful for the Community Restoration Project and the work that they do. They really do help families get back on their feet! Thank you Community Restoration Project.
Cymetrice Edwards
Ms. Cymetrice Edwards and her four children became homeless shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Trained as a chef, she lost her job when her company shut down. She didn’t immediately receive unemployment benefits so she ran out of money and eventually lost her housing as well. She put what she could in storage and her and the children went to stay in an extended stay hotel in Gwinnett County. There were times she didn’t have enough money for the weekly fees and her and the children would sleep in the car until she could raise money to get a room.
While staying in Gwinnett she met Bailee Lauersdorf of SPARC who introduced her to the Gwinnett Motel to Home project. During that time she was able to get employment as a chef with Kennesaw State University and she started slowly rebuilding her life. She enrolled in the GM2H program but couldn’t qualify for an apartment because she now had an eviction on her credit. Community Restoration Project working jointly with SPARC helped her pay off the eviction so that she could qualify for an apartment and she was approved at Harmony Meadows in Cobb County which is 10 minutes from her job at Kennesaw State University. She is grateful to everyone who helped her and her children get into an apartment.