MARIETTA, Ga. — MUST Ministries has been the go-to resource for those in need around Cobb County and Marietta for decades. As the number of people in need or homeless in the area has grown, the ministry has been in dire need of more space to provide help for those unable to help themselves.
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On Friday, Channel 2′s Michele Newell got an exclusive tour of the Hope House in Marietta. The building has been years in the making and the 43,000-square-foot shelter with over 100 beds is something MUST Ministries calls a “dream come true”. Also getting a tour on Friday--was Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
MUST Ministries CEOC Ike Reighard told Newell the plan is for the building to be fully open in May.
“The building we are standing in today will take care of 135 permanent beds and then an additional 36 beds which we call flex space and respite space,” said Reighard.
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The building is divided into several different sections. There’s a women’s dorm, and a family room. The men have their own rooms as well. There are rooms that come with private bathrooms and a rooftop playground. The shelter design was a collaboration between staff, volunteers and clients.
“The women’s dorm is upstairs. They ride a secure elevator and they go upstairs and stay with their children,” said Kaye Cagle, VP of Marketing and Public Relations.
MUST Ministries said its goal is to help families move into a stable housing situation and to find jobs. Reighard said the new building is vital for MUST Ministries’ mission. The ministry has struggled to keep up as the homeless problems facing many larger cities have made their way further out into the suburbs.
“Suburban poverty is a fairly new social phenomenon,” Reighard said. “But we are beginning to see it more and more so this helps to address that issue.”
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