Rebuilding Macon completes repairs for elderly and disabled homeowners in Macon-Bibb County. Rebuilding Macon’s mission for the past 29 years has been to ensure that these homeowners can live safely and independently in their own homes. The Community Development Block Grant allows our volunteers to help our community by helping homeowners and fighting blight. Each year hundreds of volunteers donate their time and efforts to complete a wide variety of repairs. Wheelchair ramps, exterior painting, and roof repairs are just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to what our volunteers can do. These projects minimize the risk of the homes falling into disrepair or being abandoned and enable the homeowners to continue living independently. Many of Rebuilding Macon’s projects would not be possible without the support from the Community Development Block Grant.

Family Advancement Ministries (FAM) is a sub-recipient of Macon-Bibb’s CDBG program. This grant enables us to provide age appropriate new car seats for our youngest, most vulnerable children. These car seats give parents a safe, secure way to transport their children as they travel to work and school. Our certified staff instructs parents on the proper installation and usage of these car seats ensuring our children a safe start.

River Edge Behavioral Health (River Edge) has provided treatment and supportive services for individuals with mental illness, addictive disease and developmental disabilities in Middle Georgia for over 70 years. Organized as a Community Services Board, River Edge is structured as a public, non-profit, community behavioral health services provider. River Edge serves children, youth and adults in Macon-Bibb County. The mission of River Edge, adopted in 1998, is to be the leader in behavioral healthcare, providing comprehensive services with dedication and pride. Our vision is to be the keystone provider of behavioral healthcare in our community, known for compassion, high quality work and the professionalism and excellence of our staff.

The River Edge Foundation (REF), a Georgia 501(c) (3) was founded by River Edge to develop affordable housing for extremely low-income homeless individuals and families with a verifiable disability. Since its inception REF provides Permanent Supportive Housing and Supportive Services to approximately 389 individuals and families with behavioral or substance abuse challenges.

In the role of affordable housing provider, REF and River Edge has forged an excellent working relationship with Macon-Bibb County Economic & Community Development Department (ECDD) to provide a diverse supportive housing program for low-income persons who was once homeless and have a disability.

Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia, Inc. is a nonprofit agency serving family violence, stalking, and sexual assault victims and their children. While CL&SH is a single agency, it operates five intertwined yet separate programs to ensure victims receive appropriate comprehensive services while healing from the most intimate types of violent crime. The programs include a 24-hour Crisis Intervention Hotline, a Safe Shelter for victims and their families, a Legal Services Program staffed with four legal advocates and two staff attorneys which assist victims in receiving justice through our court systems, a Counseling Center with two licensed counselors, and a Sexual Assault Center designed to intervene in reported cases of rape and sexual assault as soon as possible following victimization. Community Outreach and Education are included in each program to inform and engage individuals and groups in working with the agency toward addressing issues from both sexual and domestic violence.

Without CDBG funding, CL&SH would not be able to maintain our confidentially located safe shelter for victims. Operating a shelter is a costly venture and a significant portion of CDBG funding is used to pay the necessary operating costs of the shelter and outreach offices, including food and supplies for shelter residents, and to maintain the availability of transportation services to clients. With this transportation, clients are able to maintain employment, job search if necessary, attend counseling, and complete other goals within their case plan.

Established in 1957, Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia (FCC) is an outpatient therapy and family education center focusing on strengthening and preserving relationships, utilizing the resources of each person. Providing hour long counseling sessions for individuals, couples, and families, including specialized program areas to assist people in making life changes to improve their quality of life.

FCC has over 60 years of experiencing working with low-income families. For the past 22 years we have been a recipient of the CDBG grant. During that time over 100+ CDBG clients have been served by our Counseling and Therapeutic Program each program grant year for a total of more than 2,200 community members. Each client is expected to complete at least four counseling sessions with a therapist, so over the past 22 years we have logged over 8,800 hours of counseling services to CDBG eligible clients.

HomeFirst Housing Resource Services, Inc. was founded in 2002, as The City of Macon Housing Counseling Center and later The Macon Middle Georgia Housing Counseling Center in 2004. For funding marketing and branding purposes, the agency became HomeFirst Housing Resource Services, Inc. in 2007 and is the only “Comprehensive HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency” in the Middle Georgia area offering access to resources and information about all aspects of homeownership.

HomeFirst offers homebuyer education, pre-purchase and foreclosure invention counseling and financial literacy training to help families manage their finances. Without CDBG Funding, the agency would be unable to provide services and its’ operations would be greatly diminished.