Population Served
The CFR primarily serves families with minor children who reside in Cobb County. All CFR program participants are considered to be low income with more than 70% earning less than 30% of the area median income. The people we serve are primarily single mothers with at least one child in the home. We also serve couples with children and single fathers, as well as grandparents raising grandchildren.
In 2024, The CFR received an average of 1,200 calls each month from people seeking services. Nineteen percent of our incoming calls were people seeking shelter and 46% were for rental assistance.
For the individuals who reach out to us, housing instability continues to be their greatest challenge. For this reason, we work to empower clients to become self-sufficient by ownership and activation of their family's plan for stability and well-being.
James' Story
James came to The CFR looking for short-term housing while navigating homelessness with his 8-year-old child. He recently completed job specific training for employment, but a 2021 eviction was on his record-preventing him from finding safe, permanent housing.
James sought help from The CFR, and as he navigated his new job, he and his child were housed in one of our short-term apartments. Here, his child established a routine, and James saved money.
Near the end of his 45-day stay, James was able to enroll in our Rapid Re-Housing program. This helped the family with move-in costs and began wrap-around services, including access to our Choice Pantry.
With the support of The CFR, James and his child went from sleeping in the car to obtaining a lease and starting a new, more stable chapter of their lives in less than two months.
Shannon's Story
Shannon has a job at Wellstar; however, finding affordable housing was a challenge. She found herself in an unstable housing situation, and some nights she had to sleep in her car or pay for a hotel stay. During this time, her car broke down, and a friend rented her a room for a month.
Shannon had been looking for affordable housing on the bus line since the spring of '23 when she sought help from the Wellstar EFAP program [administered by The CFR]. The CFR provided her with resource referrals and helped her with an apartment search. Due to the previous expense of hotel stays, storage costs and transportation fees, it was difficult to save enough money to pay for moving expenses.
Fortunately, Shannon was assisted with move-in fees and prorated rent through the Wellstar EFAP. She moved into her new apartment this past fall. Her new home is on the bus line, and there's a grocery store nearby. The CFR assisted Shannon with food, cleaning supplies and toiletry items and made the move much easier for her.
More Client Stories
"The food pantry at The Center for Family Resources offers so many options. I typically find my kids favorite foods."
Linh D.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was out on extended FMLA, receiving disability. I had gone through my savings and was using credit cards to pay my monthly expenses. I applied for rental assistance in 2023 through the Wellstar EFAP [A Center for Family Resources administered program] and was assisted with two months of rent."
Robyn B.
"This financial class was very helpful to me and my family. I have a new perspective on how to budget my income."
Dontrell G.
14,550
Calls Received
6,719
Rent Requests
2,700
Shelter Requests
1,633
Food Requests
1,072
RX Requests
2,428
Utility Requests