homelessness in North Fulton Archives

North Fulton Business Radio

From Homelessness to Hope at HomeStretch, with Cheryl Carter and Brittany Phillips

00:00 /

From Homelessness to Hope at HomeStretch, with Cheryl Carter and Brittany Phillips (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 791)

In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray introduces Cheryl Carter, Executive Director of HomeStretch, and Brittany Phillips, a HomeStretch client. Cheryl shares insights about HomeStretch, an organization dedicated to providing long-term housing solutions and support to families experiencing homelessness. Brittany provides a personal account of her journey from homelessness and addiction recovery to professional growth and family stability, highlighting the impact of HomeStretch’s comprehensive support programs. They discuss the critical importance of financial literacy, education, and community support in overcoming homelessness and achieving economic independence. The episode concludes with information on how listeners can support HomeStretch’s mission through donations, volunteering, and engaging with their community initiatives.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

HomeStretch

HomeStretch originated in 1991 when volunteers at the local North Fulton Community Charities recognized the pressing need for affordable housing in the North Fulton area. As the number of at-risk families seeking housing assistance increased, the charities found themselves limited to providing only emergency, short-term aid.

Today, the agency oversees and maintains 39 single-family residences. With a team of trained human services professionals dedicated to supporting families and the commitment of over 400 compassionate HomeStretch Heroes (volunteers), it strives to ensure the success of its clients.

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Cheryl Carter, Executive Director, HomeStretch

Cheryl Carter is a results-oriented administrator with over 40 years of executive-level experience in the development, growth and leadership of not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Carter possesses solid capabilities in outcomes-based program development, fundraising, event production, media relations, market research, public/private partnership development, and public speaking. Cheryl’s passion lies in creating programs that empower individuals to overcome poverty.

Cheryl has served on the board of directors of various nonprofit organizations and has received prestigious awards for her community leadership and professional contributions. Before her nonprofit career, she served in the US Army’s 103rd Military Intelligence Division, earning recognition for her service.

Cheryl holds degrees in Business Administration Management and Human Services Management, and she resides in Grayson with her husband Drew, an entertainer. They have three successful adult children and a high school senior.

Topics Covered in this Episode

**Brittany Phillips and Cheryl Carter, HomeStretch**

00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
01:31 Introducing HomeStretch and Its Mission
02:27 Cheryl’s Journey to HomeStretch
05:07 Understanding Homelessness and Its Root Causes
06:59 Addressing Housing Affordability
10:07 Brittany’s Story of Recovery and Resilience
13:52 The Five Pillars of HomeStretch
22:54 Personal Challenges and Willingness to Change
23:51 The Importance of Savings
25:14 Understanding Executive Functioning
27:30 Brittany’s Journey and Achievements
30:06 Empowering Families and Making Tough Decisions
32:14 Future Goals and Financial Planning
39:11 Supporting HomeStretch and Volunteer Opportunities
42:59 Conclusion and Additional Resources

Renasant Bank and Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant support North Fulton Business Radio

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Casa Nuova is a proud family-owned and operated restaurant, serving classic, authentic and traditional Italian cuisine and top tier hospitality since 1998.

Casa Nuova is a cook-to-order kitchen, serving traditional fare including pasta, chicken, seafood, veal, vegetarian and gluten-free options, plus daily specials. They are a farm-to-table establishment, meaning that in the summertime, they cultivate their own vegetables in their garden, steps away from the restaurant, including tomatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini, sunflowers and more!

Celebrating more than 25 years, Casa Nuova has become a true staple in the Alpharetta area, serving more than three generations of families, including friends old and new, visiting near and far from all over the metro Atlanta area and beyond.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray

With over 780 shows and having featured over 1,200 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!

The show welcomes a wide variety of business, non-profit, and community leaders to get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, their community, and their profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates business by sharing positive business stories that traditional media ignore. Some media leans left. Some media leans right. We lean business.

John Ray, Business RadioX - North Fulton, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors — **John Ray, Business RadioX – North Fulton, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors**

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.

The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.

Good2Give Podcast

Nesha Mason, The Drake House

00:00 /

Nesha Mason, The Drake House (Good2Give Podcast, Episode 9)

Nesha Mason, President of The Drake House, joined this episode of the Good2Give Podcast. The Drake House is a nonprofit operating in North Fulton, focusing on assisting single mothers and their families who face homelessness. Hosts Maria Walden and DePriest Waddy interviewed Nesha on the history of the Drake House, its programs, and the impact it has had on the community. Founded following a realization of the homelessness crisis affecting single mothers in North Fulton, the Drake House provides emergency and transitional housing, financial literacy, and community support to empower single mothers towards independence. The organization has evolved to offer comprehensive support, including a fresh market and a professional women’s career network. The conversation covered volunteer opportunities, fundraising events, and how the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia supports the Drake House through partnerships, funding, and resources, emphasizing the importance of community support in addressing homelessness and financial vulnerability among single mothers and their children.

The Good2Give Podcast is presented by the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia. The show is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link.

Nesha Mason, President, The Drake House

Nesha Mason is a dedicated leader with a rich and diverse background in education, operations management, and community engagement. With experience in both the public and nonprofit sectors, Nesha has consistently demonstrated her commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of others.

Her passion for community service and helping others has led her to roles in public service, education and nonprofit leadership. Mason served as the first female African American Mayor of Abilene, Kansas. In this role, she focused her efforts on planned growth and government transparency for residents. Mason chose not to seek reelection, opting to pursue alternative certification to be a K–12 educator. After serving as a teacher at Haynes Bridge Middle School in Alpharetta, Mason served as Executive Director of a state-wide educational foundation connecting high school students to the hospitality industry.

In her current role as President of The Drake House, Nesha Mason combines her leadership skills, educational expertise, and commitment to community welfare to lead and support initiatives that empower families and create lasting positive change.

Under Nesha’s direction, The Drake House has witnessed a remarkable transformation in its programming. Her strategic insight and commitment to holistic support have propelled the organization from providing shelter to a two-generational approach to overcoming homelessness and financial vulnerability. This shift has been pivotal in ensuring that families not only find housing but also receive comprehensive resources to transition towards independence and stability.

In her personal life, Nesha has been married for 23 years and is the proud parent of five adult sons. Nesha and her husband currently reside in Roswell, Georgia, where they continue to be actively involved in their community.

The Drake House

The Drake House is a 501(c)3 organization that works to respond to the growing number of women and children experiencing homelessness in North Fulton. They involve members of our community in the effort to keep single mothers and their children united under one roof as they work toward self-sufficiency.

The Drake House helps women with children overcome the circumstances of homelessness with dignity while keeping their families intact. In response to the changes in our post-COVID world, The Drake House has adapted its programming to help the families we serve acquire housing and achieve financial self-sufficiency.

Graduates of their program work, pay taxes, rent apartments, purchase groceries, attend faith-based organizations, and hopefully, one day, become homeowners. They are equipped to be good employees, tenants, and neighbors. When given the opportunity, some even use their story to inspire others to follow in their footsteps and take advantage of all the services The Drake House has to offer them. As they continue their work to improve their program and campus, The Drake House does so with the expectation that the results will lead to more graduates, more resilient children and teens, and ultimately, a stronger community.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Topics Discussed in This Interview

00:00 Welcome to the Good2Give Podcast
00:36 Introducing Nisha Mason from The Drake House
01:57 The Drake House: A Beacon of Hope for Single Mothers
03:21 Expanding Support: From Emergency Housing to Financial Literacy
10:39 The Importance of Community and Sponsorship
22:12 Volunteering, Funding, and How to Get Involved
30:08 Upcoming Events and How to Support The Drake House
33:23 Closing Remarks and Contact Information

The Good2Give Podcast celebrates the work of donors, nonprofits, and the causes they care about. DePriest Waddy and Maria Walden-Sullivan are the show’s hosts, and the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia is the presenting sponsor.

The Good2Give Podcast is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. You can also find the show on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many others.

At the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, everything they do centers around one purpose: improving the world through the power of philanthropy.

On a fundamental level, they do that through managing funds held in trust, donated by individuals, organizations, and businesses. Most funds are donor-advised funds, similar to savings accounts. These funds are pooled for investment purposes, and their income is used to make grants for a wide variety of charitable purposes.

But the Foundation’s goals extend far beyond managing funds. They desire to strengthen the communities they serve in Gwinnett, Northeast Georgia, and beyond by providing leadership, addressing community needs, and assisting individuals and organizations with their charitable giving.

Connect with CFNEG:
Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram