In 1984 there was no place for homeless women and children to be off the streets of Atlanta during the daytime hours. There were a few night shelters that closed early in the morning, not to open again until 6:30 or 7:00 at night. The day shelters that did exist catered to men. As a result, during the day our city’s most vulnerable homeless citizens – women and children – sought refuge in abandoned buildings, under bridges or simply walking the streets. In that same year the Atlanta Day Shelter was founded as a daytime resource center and safe refuge for homeless women and children in the Metro Atlanta area. The Shelter’s first location was the basement of Atlanta First United Methodist Church. Over the years, the Shelter has relocated four times and its services and programs have expanded in response to the needs of a growing homeless population. In 2008 the Shelter’s staff, Board of Directors, guests and many supporters celebrated the extraordinary life of Mrs. Ruth Schnatmeier, the Shelter’s long-time Executive Director, by dedicating our current building at 655 Ethel Street to her just a few months before she passed away.
In 2009 the Shelter served approximately 5,000 women and children at a rate of 150-250 individuals entering our doors each day.
There are many ways to describe Preble Street: drop-in centers, soup kitchens, food pantry, shelters, social work services, supported housing. These descriptions only tell part of the story of who we are, though.
We are a community at Preble Street. The “We” means everyone involved: staff, board, volunteers, donors, and especially those who use our services. Everyone is welcome at Preble Street, everyone is respected and treated with dignity, and everyone is invited to contribute to the effort of meeting our mission:
"To provide accessible barrier-free services to empower people experiencing problems with homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty; and to advocate for solutions to these problems."
