The above lyrics may sound like sweet, nostalgic sentiments to some. The songwriter himself, Paul Simon, felt a longing and disconnect from the sanctity of home as he endured grueling tour schedules and endless concert dates. Yet, the lyrics of his wistful anthem evoke the plight of thousands of homeless

men and women struggling day after day to find shelter and rise above the circumstances rendering them indigent. Their song goes unheard by almost everyone … almost.

Thirty years ago in Cobb County, B.R. Hogan, a homeless man, per-ished from the cold, his body discovered under the bleachers of a high school football stadium. At the time, the community reeled with shock, recognizing the death as a sign of a local homelessness issue in dire need of evaluation. That tragedy provided the catalyst for the establish-ment of the Marietta-Cobb Winter Shelter, which has since morphed into The Extension — a state-licensed, accredited residential addic-tion recovery program serving the homeless men and women of Cobb County through a comprehensive approach to stop cycles of instability.

By Katherine Michalak

Hope Abounds ToReassure Homeless

“... All my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity,Like emptiness in harmony, I need someone to comfort me.Homeward bound, I wish I was, homeward bound … .”

— Paul Simon

The Extension’s Tyler Driver speaking with AssuranceAmerica executives about the shelter’s programs.

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were.” Graduates become assets to the community instead of liabilities.

The homelessness issue is one of great urgency to the executive leadership of Cobb-based AssuranceAmerica and now the 15-year-old company stands in a

position to commit 5 percent of all pre-tax profits as donations to aid the local homeless population. The company deter-mined that the best manner to accomplish its goal would be to partner with key orga-nizations dedicated to this mission. Such

a connection reflects a link between the overall purposes of both entities. Essen-tially, insurance functions as a tool of risk management, catching clients in a safety net in a time of crisis and holding them securely until they can recover. On

Executive Director, Tyler M. Driver, has worked with The Extension since 1989 and firmly believes that saving lives means helping lives change. “Homeless-ness is not a problem as much as a symptom of a problem [for the addiction

community],” says Driver, speaking from his vantage point. “Homelessness is not a housing problem. These are people who have no one left to take them in. When they come to us, they are ready to do it our way. This is not where they end up;

it’s where they start up. We want them to never again rely on drugs to get them high or charity to get them by. We want to give them resources to handle every bar-rier that has kept them down.”

Potential Extension residents usually discover the program via referral from county government services and non-profits, or by connecting with Extension Alumni. Then, they undergo a rigorous assessment to confirm a genuine commit-ment to a demanding program that incor-porates addiction counseling, life skills education, behavioral management work-shops, and family guidance. “They need to be sober and medically stable,” Driver clarifies, “if they need to be detoxed they go to county detox [before entering The Extension]. We keep them on site for the first 30 days to provide the basics and foundations of recovery. After 30 days, they look for a job.”

Ultimately, that’s the point of any type of rehabilitation — to restore a level of functionality and independence. For resi-dents of The Extension, such restoration means reclaiming an ability to maintain employment, secure housing, and pay bills. “On average, those who successfully complete the program are with us for around 11 months,” explains Driver, “and leave here fully-equipped to live their life and contribute to society. Residents then join our alumni association. They volun-teer and mentor, and commit to lifting others up who are down where they once

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AssuranceAmerica execs serving lunch to — and eating with — graduates of The Extension’s recovery programs.

AssuranceAmerica leadership (L to R): Anne Ostholthoff, Joseph Skruck, David Anthony, Daniel Scruggs, Bharat Govinda, and Daryn Perkins.

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initiative, verbalizes what so many of us feel when she talks about the difference The Extension makes. “It’s hard, those of us who are in our cars [every day], driving around this city and seeing the homeless,” she says. “We wonder ‘what can I do, do I give them money?’ It’s also challenging for them to find a shelter that has space for them. At The Extension, they take a look at the root of the problem ... they teach program clients how to cope with the initial issues, and have a better rate of success in doing so than just masking it. [We] looked at their statistics and reten-tion rates. How many people are coming in the front door, how many people are completing the program, how many grad-uate, how many keep jobs. Many nonprof-its lose track, but we were so impressed to see how The Extension maintains those relationships. The alumni come back and are involved.”

That alumni involvement shines as a hallmark of The Extension program. Resi-dents identify with alumni volunteers as mentors and accountability partners in their recovery journey, and by the time they are ready to leave the program, they know they are not alone. The classes, counseling, and camaraderie at The Extension creates a new kind of family for those mired in this struggle, allowing

them to formulate a new definition of what it means to be home.

Expanding that definition requires more resources for The Extension — more beds, supplemental staff, enhanced curriculum — and seeking additional corporate partnerships yields a promise to address those needs. Poncier asserts, “Our hope is that more [local businesses] will step up to develop a program that works well with their associates and gives back to those in need, which in turn brings transformation. We encourage

other local companies to go out and get involved in this community. These prob-lems are not far away, they are right here.”

Scruggs agrees, “We are fortunate to be in a position to be able to give 5 percent of our pre-tax profits to homeless outreach ini-tiatives, including The Extension. We want other corporations to get on board with that effort; we would love to champion that.” More help, more hope, more harmony cre-ated through a chorus of corporate contri-bution could forever change the tune for the homeless addicts in Cobb County. n

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a fundamental level, The Extension also manages risk, grabbing its residents by the hand and walking with them along a path to safety through recovery.

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, The Extension depends on donations and community support to keep running. When oppor-tunities for corporate partnerships arise, Driver recognizes the larger benefit for all involved. As the AssuranceAmerica team researched local charity initiatives, the work of The Extension stood out for its holistic approach. Driver welcomed the company’s interest, inviting AssuranceAm-erica execs to tour the facility. “Assur-anceAmerica reached out to us and we made a strong connection,” he says. The initial visit left an indelible impression on a few of the insurance company executives,

rousing them to action and inspiring them to make service to The Extension a philan-thropic priority.

“Charitable action has always been part of this company’s DNA,” notes Dan-iel Scruggs, CFO of AssuranceAmerica. “Now we have the means to execute some change. That’s always been our hope. We’ve doubled the size of the business in the last two years, so now we are able to move toward something.” Echoing that sentiment, Chief Executive Officer Joseph Skruck says, “There’s always been a philan-thropic desire here. As soon as we moved from profitability to prosperity, we started giving back.” Skruck goes on, recalling, “Years ago, I remember Guy Millner, our executive chairman, taking us all under the bridges of Atlanta to interface with

people living there. We began screening organizations based on that focus. We wanted to bring a discipline to this pro-cess. Tyler [Driver] presented to us and invited us to tour the facility. He had a plan, and we feel really good about select-ing this organization to put our contribu-tions to good use.”

The AssuranceAmerica team strives to give in multiple capacities above and beyond their financial donation, includ-ing as an advisory resource and with direct employee volunteering. “Our commitment to give back to the community certainly starts with the financial support and time, getting our troops rallied behind the cause,” Scruggs says. “We hope to provide advisory functions. We’re getting involved to establish future goals and develop a long-term strategic operational plan.”

“This has excited our associates,” Skruck reveals. “They want to give their time and we’re seeing a lot of energy around it. It’s uplifting and humbling at the same time. Insurance is there to reduce trauma; it financially rescues you. We observed [trauma] at the Extension — however they got there, however the addiction started. This is your neighbor, this is right here in Cobb County.”

Michele Poncier, community giv-ing manager working directly on this

As the AssuranceAmerica team researched local charity initiatives, the work of The Extension stood out for its holistic approach. Driver welcomed the insurance company’s interest, inviting execs to tour the facility.

“There’s always been a philanthropic desire here. As soon as we moved from profitability to prosperity, we started giving back.”

— Joseph Skruck, AssuranceAmerica

Chief Executive Officer

AssuranceAmerica leadership hearing from graduates about the effectiveness of The Extension’s programs.

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