New at MUST
Doors Open at Pioneering Homeless Shelter
Donations to help Hope House clients were pouring in during the grand opening. The new MUST Hope House features a chapel where clients can pray.
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AROUND ACWORTH | May 2022
America’s newest — and perhaps most thoughtfully designed — homeless shelter is complete and ready to be occupied. Last month, MUST Ministries celebrated the completion of its 43,556-square-foot MUST Hope House, designed and built from input provided by staff, volunteers and clients. Grandopening events featured Gov. Brian Kemp as guest speaker, as well as public tours of the facility. Thanks to a successful capital campaign and an ambitious vision, the MUST team planned the two-story shelter with specific needs of clients at the forefront, making MUST one of the first organizations in the country to do so. The nonprofit more than doubled the number of people it is able to shelter and serve. “In all of MUST Ministries’ 50 years of service to those experiencing poverty, we have never seen a greater need for our help than we are seeing now,” MUST President and CEO Ike Reighard said. “In just two years, we have gone from serving 33,000 people a year to likely close to 60,000 people this year. The MUST Hope House not only gives those families a place to sleep but also provides them with a sense of dignity and respect.” The impressive new facility — just off Bells Ferry Road near Cobb Parkway in Marietta, not far from its predecessor — has 136 beds, plus 36 respite beds for inclement weather; a chapel; a dining hall with picture windows to help alleviate claustrophobia; a kitchen; a rooftop family retreat with play areas, tables and seating; a playground area; a satellite medical clinic with three exam rooms; laundry rooms; and an on-site clothing boutique, where clients can shop. Ten large family rooms, each with five beds and a private bath, allow families to stay
