Kimberly Parker is attending the 2012 Conference of the National Alliance to End Homelessness in Washington, DC. and will return on Thursday.  While in Washington D.C., she is scheduled to meet with Georgia's United States Senators and Members of Congress to discuss the issue of homelessness and the work of Central OAC.

Central OAC has been selected as a finalist to serve as a non-profit leadership site for the 2012-2103 class of Leadership Atlanta.  Our proposal was written to focus on the Main Frame and opening doors for our graduates to find jobs.  I have a meeting with the selection committee and will know more after then.

The National Coalition for the Homelessness, through a partnership with the AmeriCorps  Vista program, has selected Central OAC as a program site for one of their members.  Devo'n Williams will join us at the end of August and will be on-hand full-time through August of 2013.  His work will be on establishing a day center for the homelessness in Atlanta at Central OAC, a program with the full support of Mayor Reid.  More details will follow.

Hold the Date:  On Thursday, August 23, from 6-8pm Central OAC will host a wine and cheese reception in the center.  Renderings of the renovations necessary to open the day center will be unveiled and the new Public Policy Advocacy Center will be announced.  Donors, funders, elected officials, volunteers and supporters will be invited to attend.  This will be an excellent opportunity to bring folks down to the center, especially potential donors.  Several guests will also be on hand.  Board Members should plan on attending.  We need 100% of our Board participating in this major event!

Central OAC spent a little over two weeks registering our guests as new voters.  During the period, 136 new voters were registered and 75 were assisted with address changes. Most of our guests had registered but never voted. During the last week of July, we will accompany our guests in going to vote at the Fulton County Courthouse.  Prior to voting, we will offer assistance in understanding the ballot which is very complicated this year.  We will not encourage guests to vote for specific individuals or for or against ballot measures. 

As a part of Governor Deal's decision to implement the new Real ID law in Georgia, additional documentation is now needed to obtain a valid ID or driver's license.  Included in the required documentation is one of the following:  lease, utility bill, paystub or bank statement.  Obviously none of our guests are able to meet this requirement.  Renée Snead, Central OAC's director of public policy advocacy, has been in touch with the general counsel at the Department of Driver Services (DDS) to have a waiver approved and a verification of homeless letter accepted instead. DDS has approved our request.   This applies to all homeless service providers in Georgia, not just Central OAC.

Another DDS problem, with serious final applications to Central OAC and homeless service providers in Georgia, has arisen with the new Real ID law.  Previously, only guests who had never received a Georgia ID, or who had and it was lost within two years, were not required to furnish a birth certificate.  Now, everyone renewing or applying for an ID or Driver's License must furnish a birth certificate.  We pay an average of $30 for a birth certificate and did not anticipate the increased need when our 2012 budget was approved.  We've asked our partners to monitor their increases through July and we will do the same.  In August, we will determine the new cost to the nonprofit community and develop a strategy to address it.

A new directory of staff with email addresses and telephone numbers is available on our website.  Included is the contact information for Sharon Damelio and Barry Snyder who join us on August 1.

Please help by following the instructions in the email that went out tonight seeking support in having candidates return our questionnaire.