The Agape Restoration Center, Inc. had its inception in 1994. With an idea and passion, Founder and Executive Director Renée Davis approached Chini Collins of Nonprofits for Nonprofits [NFN] and shared her compelling personal story of homelessness after a corporate job loss. She felt it important to dispel the myth of a typical homeless woman as being a "bag lady," or someone on welfare who was uninterested in self-improvement. Still attempting to regain stability for herself and her two children, Renée sought to find meaning in this crisis. NFN recognized the value of the idea and saw Renée as someone who could speak for the cause for homeless women with children. So the organization consented to serve as the fiscal agent for The Agape Restoration Center and develop it into an organization equipped to serve the homeless community.

Renée shared her story and vision of helping other women in crisis with the Task Force for the Homeless, and after several meetings was granted just over $23,000 to clean up an old boarding house to use as an emergency shelter. The building offered seven bedrooms and one bathroom. From 1995 to 1997, the Task Force served as a screening and referral agency for ARC residents who had come to them in need. They sent fifteen women on opening night, and the shelter remained full from that point on. During the time of operation, over 250 women and their children had been housed. Among those were four pregnant women --- one of whom gave birth to a son while a resident. The average stay at the shelter was 45 days.

The Agape Restoration Center, Inc. works in collaboration with other homeless service provider agencies in completing the continuum of care. These organizations include The Atlanta Children's Shelter, Odyssey III/The Rock, The Task Force for the Homeless, Families First, Atlanta Enterprise Center, Fulton County Human Services, My Sister's House (Atlanta Union Mission), The DeKalb Initiative for Children and Families, The Sullivan Center, Sister Love, Safe Haven Transitional, The Gateway 24/7 Center - Atlanta's newest service center for the homeless.

Plans to reopen the emergency shelter using the name Margaret's Manor are underway. During her stay, each resident will be assisted in developing the necessary skills to acquire permanent housing, job readiness training or employment assistance, so that at the end of the maximum 90-day period, she is able to embrace stability and self-sufficiency. Special arrangements should be available to those who need an extended time to complete this process.

Future plans include opening a resale store called "Restore!" that will offer clothing for resale to the general public. The funds generated will be a revenue stream for operating funds for Margaret's Manor, and reduce the dependency on grants. Restore! will also serve as a retail training location for residents of The Agape Restoration Center in cashier's duties and retail operations.

The Agape Restoration Center, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization. All contributions are tax-deductible and should be sent to:

The Agape Restoration Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 492474
College Park, GA 30349

Press Release

December 9, 2007

Final plans are being drawn up for the opening of Margaret’s Manor in the 1st quarter of 2008. Our nonprofit, The Agape Restoration Center, Inc., with its collaborative partners, Zion Hill Community Development Corporation (www.zionhillcdc.org) and Tapestry Youth Ministries, Inc. (www.tapestryyouth.org), have come together to assist homeless women with children.

Margaret’s Manor, Short Term Transitional and Assessment Center, will offer women in a housing crisis a 90-day stay with supportive services. In-house case management will assess each family’s situation and help them develop an Individual Development Plan (IDP) designed to take them from calamity to self-sufficiency.

We are currently seeking businesses, sponsors, donors, organizations and churches that will commit to making a monthly financial donation as part of their outreach. We would greatly appreciate giving of items that we need to operate the center. Consider getting a group together to ask their friends and co-workers to gather together such items as:

• blankets
• washcloths & towels
• feminine hygiene items
• diapers
• toiletries(toothpaste, soap deodorant, lotion etc.)
• baby and children’s items
• toys, books
• whatever else your heart tells you!

Join us in prayer as we work to improve the lives of these women and their children.

Visit our picture gallery of the building that will become Margaret’s Manor (named in honor of Renee Davis’ mother, Margaret Nims Rush.

View pictures of the property ›

September 16, 2007

Homeless Mom Turned Model Gives Back to Atlanta Homeless Community
Renée Davis Partners with Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans to Inspire Displaced Mothers

ATLANTA—Looking at Renée Davis you see a woman of extraordinary beauty, immense grace and infinite wisdom. However this professional model’s story runs much deeper than surface level inference. Davis’s story is a complicated one of breast cancer, corporate job loss and expensive health care cost, all of which contributed to her being homeless with two kids.

For several years, Davis, then Renée White, drifted from one location to another with no place for her and her daughters to call home. She knows firsthand the distress homelessness can cause a mother and her children. After working hard to reposition herself, Davis was able to establish a permanent home for herself and her children. Today, she is married to a wonderful man and spends her time and energy assisting other mothers who are encountering housing problems.

For the past 10 years, Davis has served on non-profit and community foundations’ strategy boards to ensure mothers encountering housing problems have adequate housing and support. In addition, Davis has founded Agape Restoration Center, Inc., a non-profit that works with homeless service providers in order to complete the continuum of care.

On Friday, August 31, 2007, Davis coordinated a ministry excursion for 20 residents of My Sister’s House of the Atlanta Union Mission. The residents enjoyed Ministry in Music with gospel greats Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans at the fabulous Fox Theatre. After the concert, the ladies met Donnie McClurkin, who shared encouraging words with them and signed autographs.

This is one of the many projects Davis has in the works for local mothers who are struggling with housing. For more information on Renèe Davis, visit ReneeDavis.com.

For press interviews with Renée Davis, please contact Kia Smith at 404-244-3913 or kia@kiasmithcommunications.com.

View photos of this event!