ATLANTA — A building with historical ties in Atlanta whose mission is to help those without housing needs financial help.
Trinity Community Ministries has been a beacon of hope for men trying to start over at the metro Atlanta transitional rehab center. It is now at risk of closing its doors for good.
For years, the center has transformed the lives of men like Exzavia Frazier.
“This wasn’t for me. I went through all of this for someone else,” Frazier said.
At a time in his life, he battled drug addiction.
“I’m a product of an addict. My dad was an addict. I always vowed that I would never become one. Then suddenly, I found myself one of those individuals,” Frazier said.
Frazier said that he was broken and destitute before finding the center.
“Sleeping on concrete floors and breaking into abandoned apartments and having to dig my stuff out of dumpsters,” Frazier said.
After unsuccessfully going through drug treatment six times, in April 2019, Frazier was caught with drugs while in another program that provided housing. That’s when his life met a crossroads; he was allowed to try treatment again for the seventh time at Trinity.
And this time, it was different.
“The best decision I ever made,” Frazier said.
Trinity is a 36-bed, two-year transitional center for men who experience homelessness and addiction. It provides recovery programs, transitional housing, and access to benefits to help men get back on their feet with brotherhood at its foundation.
The non-profit was founded in 1981 and operates out of the former Hanley Funeral Home, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s body was prepared for burial.
“Where his life ended, mine begin,” Frazier said.
Men are reminded every day of the historical significance of the building when they’re greeted by the picture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, which hangs in the lobby. As people pass through, they see the doors where King’s casket left the building. They are now sealed shut, making him the last person to pass the threshold.
“In a place where men used to grieve and mourn, they now come back to life,” Christina Toney-Schmitt, Director of Development at Trinity Community Ministries, said. “We’re here creating opportunities for men to go above and beyond to ensure that they can return to their families. They break cycles of poverty and addiction.”
While the non-profit helps men through hardships, Toney-Schmitt said the center is facing its own.
“Trinity Community Ministries needs $186,000 to keep our doors open,” Toney-Schmitt said.
The center must have the money in 60 days to keep its doors open. Toney-Schmitt said this means Atlanta will be without another shelter the city needs.
“We know from this past year’s Point in Time Count, that just over 30% of men who are on the streets also claimed to have a substance abuse issue. We know this is a niche of people who need help,” Frazier said. “… who needs the structure and support to reclaim their lives and return to their communities as mentors and leaders.”
She said several men at the center are there because of court mandates and come to Trinity instead of returning to the incarceration system. Over 72% of the men who graduate from the program remain stable, according to Toney-Schmitt.
The program helps them eventually find work, save $2,500 and find stable housing. Frazier is one of them. He’s been clean for four years.
When he reflects on how far he’s come, he also thinks about what will happen to the men who won’t get the same support that changed his life if Trinity closes.
“To think that, you know, someone wouldn’t have that opportunity. I’m sorry. Yeah, it’s heartbreaking,” Frazier said emotionally.
The non-profit helps 100 men a year, a mission they want to continue for years. They’re seeking monetary donations, food donations and more to help repair, maintain and keep the center open.