GEEARS Receives Grant to Address Housing Instability and Homelessness Among Infants, Toddlers, and Expectant Parents
GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students has received a $100,000 grant from Thrive From the Start. The funding will be used to convene key leaders and constituencies from across the state to address the impact of housing instability and homelessness on Georgia’s youngest children and their families.
For far too many Georgia infants, toddlers, and expectant parents, housing instability and homelessness are daily realities that threaten health, development, and family well-being during the most critical years of life. Right now, more than 13,000 Georgia children under age three are estimated to be experiencing homelessness.
“For Georgia’s youngest children, housing stability is foundational to healthy development and long-term success,” said Mindy Binderman, Executive Director of GEEARS. “This investment from Thrive from the Start will help us center the voices of families with lived experience and strengthen coordination across housing, health, and early childhood systems. With our partners, we’ll build more effective solutions that meet our children’s needs.”
GEEARS is excited to collaborate with our Georgia Infant-Toddler Coalition partners to identify and advocate for thoughtful, more aligned policy decisions that better support expectant parents, infants, and toddlers experiencing housing instability. Together, we will elevate evidence-informed programs and policies to create a comprehensive system that supports families and addresses the root causes of homelessness.
ZERO TO THREE, through its coordination of the Thrive from the Start network and with its national partners, funded 10 grants in states across the country. This grant program was made possible with funding from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative.
About GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students
GEEARS is a nonprofit organization operating to inspire and provide leadership for a statewide movement on quality early learning and healthy development for all children ages birth through five. We collaborate with business, civic, and government leaders to maximize the economic return on Georgia’s investments in high-quality early education and transformative family supports. It is our mission to ensure that all children thrive by championing research-backed policies and investments, fostering collaboration, and leading a statewide movement to advance public will. Visit: www.geears.org.
About Thrive From the Start:
Thrive from the Start brings together leaders from across the early childhood, housing, homelessness, health and child welfare systems dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive. Partners in Thrive from the Start include ZERO TO THREE, SchoolHouse Connection, Prevent Child Abuse America, Housing Is, and the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers.
Learn more about Thrive From the Start’s national policy agenda focused on solving PN-3 homelessness and housing instability and our work to build a growing network of organizations committed to cross-sector solutions for a coordinated, holistic support system at www.thrivefromthestart.org.