Our House, Inc history

Our House opened its doors in March 1988 to offer reliable, free childcare to metro Atlanta families experiencing homelessness.

Our House launched Potluck Food Rescue in 1989 with grant funding from UPS, and since then Potluck has spun off into its own nonprofit organization which provides food to more than 7,000 hungry people each week (including residents of Our House).

Our House opened its Family Housing program on the grounds of the old VA hospital in southeast Little Rock in 1991, enabling homeless families to live in an apartment-style setting to better prepare them for success in their own homes.

Genesis opened its doors in 1994 in a facility provided by The Temple, and provided services there for ten years.

In 2004, recognizing the need to expand its capacity, Genesis relocated to the shelter’s current site at 173 Boulevard, a 76-bed facility with the daily capacity to serve 18 infants and their families.

In 2006, new Executive Director, Georgia Mjartan’s first initiative was to launch after-school and summer programs for school-aged youth, the first such programs specifically for homeless children in the state.

Caroline Frey joined her husband Chesen Frey in 2008 to open Our House Inc.

After undergoing substantial renovations, our Family Housing facilities were completed in 2010.

In 2014, Our House and Genesis Shelter merged to become one organization, serving families experiencing homelessness at two sites under the name and executive leadership of Our House.

Raven Whavers joined the Our House team in 2018, after working as a Youth and Shelter Family Advocate for several local nonprofits serving underprivileged youth and families.