Today we’d like to introduce you to Amelia Quinn.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After visiting a friend in Costa Rica who began an organization working with men and women in prostitution, I knew commercial sexual exploitation was an issue I would never be able to ignore again. I soon moved to Atlanta after the trip and began volunteering with other anti-trafficking organizations in the city. I worked to ask each organization what the greatest need was for this population and where the gaps in care were. Each organization said Atlanta needed more long-term beds for adult women. The BeLoved team began praying about this and felt like this was the area we wanted to step into.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road sounds so nice but no, we have been on a very bumpy road. The first week, we opened the BeLoved home, a pipe in the house busted, one of the new residents got scared and left for hours without anyone knowing where she is was and another woman we had been working with attempted suicide. No life decision hit me so hard so fast and though every minute has been worth it, it has been really challenging as well.
BeLoved works with women who have been commercially sexually exploited but the residents are also overcoming addiction and homelessness. Many of the residents have experienced 20-30 years of complex trauma. Each week our team is confronted with the power of addiction, the damage people are able to do to one another and how challenging it is to truly get a second chance.
In addition, we are working to navigate how to run a nonprofit with a high standard of excellence from fundraising to sustainable growth and community partnerships.
The saving grace in all this is the BeLoved Atlanta team, they are the biggest rockstars I know. They are the ones advocating fiercely for each resident and often holding us all together without anyone ever knowing.
We also get the privilege to work with some of the strongest most hilarious women I have ever met. The residents have overcome so much yet keep laughing and pushing forward; working with them will always be one of my greatest honors.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about BeLoved Atlanta – what should we know?
BeLoved Atlanta is a community of restoration for women who have been commercially sexually exploited. We offer a two-year program while living in one of BeLoved’s residential homes all free of charge. The program consist of three main phases:
Restoration. Basic needs are met as each woman has the opportunity to heal from past trauma before moving forward in education and employment. This phase includes individual counseling, group therapy, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, legal and medical needs.
Education. Educational goals are established and pursued with the assistance of the BeLoved Case Manager. We believe a woman’s chance of success will increase if she is pursuing a career of her choice. Each resident must obtain their GED and then has the opportunity to pursue higher education, work readiness training or an internship.
Employment. Employment is an essential part of the recovery process as a woman must become self-sufficient to experience long-term success without relapse. BeLoved works with community partners to ensure each woman has a full-time, living wage job with three months of living expenses saved before graduating. We also offer a matching savings program up to $1,000. During this phase, the Case Manager is working with the resident to establish an exit plan and find healthy and affordable housing for her transition.
Community is what sets BeLoved Atlanta apart; it is how we walk through life together that makes BeLoved unique. As a community, we celebrate victories, grieve the loss and overcome years of lies and abuse. Each resident knows she is loved and belongs to a family, our family. Instead of focusing on the limitations and restrictions of a program, we welcome each resident with a key to her new home where she is able to take ownership and pride in her new life. We offer our residents the resources and support to rescue themselves. In 2013, we opened our first home with four residents and are now have three residential homes allowing us to serve a total of 11 residents.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Ohhh, this is a hard question to answer. I’m gonna go with tenacity. Things around BeLoved do not normally go the way we want them to. Everything takes longer and is harder than we excepted, the community is messy and recovery is hard, slow work yet we keep going. We work to see the potential in each person and fight for one another.
Contact Info:
- Address: 50 Sunset Ave
Atlanta, GA 30314 - Website: www.belovedatlanta.org
- Phone: 770-630-7765
- Email: info@belovedatlanta.org
- Instagram: belovedatlanta
- Facebook: BeLoved Atlanta
- Twitter: belovedatlanta
Image Credit:
©Kathryn McCrary, Photography Atlanta Lifestyle Photographer (woman in front of city)
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