Meet Rachel Knowles
Thanks to our L5P Alliance donors and support from Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, we’ve been working with our own Intown Cares case worker for several months now. Meet Rachel Knowles, a familiar face you’ve likely already seen in our community.
What is your main role with Intown Cares? I'm a team lead on the Homeless Services team and a housing support case manager for our neighborhood-based program. As a case manager, I work directly with people living outside in Little Five Points and Kirkwood, helping them access housing, benefits, medical care, and more. I provide intensive, long-term case management and typically work with clients for a year or more. As a team lead, I help support newer case managers as they learn the ropes of street outreach, case management, and homeless services in Atlanta.
What inspires you in your work in this community? My clients keep me inspired and energized to do this work. This field can be difficult. In homeless services, you bear witness to pain and suffering every day. But, along with the hard things, I get be a part of my clients' progress, healing, and joy. I am grateful that it's my job to connect with and care about people.
What do you see as the main issues facing Little 5 Points when it comes to working with individuals struggling with homelessness? Little 5 has a small community of people who have been homeless in the neighborhood for many, many years. Folks who have been living outside for that long often need significant support navigating the social services system and settling into permanent housing. The work doesn't stop when clients get a housing referral or even when they move in. Aftercare and ongoing support are needed to make sure they can be happy, healthy, and successful in housing after so many years living outside. Transitioning out of survival mode when you've lived there for so long is difficult.
How can residents and business owners help your efforts? One of the simplest things folks can do is develop a relationship with their neighbors who are unhoused. We all need community, and living outside is incredibly isolating. Saying hi to the guy you see every day on your walk to work, or the grocery store is a small, simple kindness that makes a difference. Maybe after a couple weeks of hellos you will stop and have a quick conversation or bring a bottle of water by on a hot day. My clients with social support are often the most successful. You can be a small part of someone’s support system by being a friendly face in the neighborhood. Intown Cares also runs a large food pantry just up the street from Little 5 Points! We can always use donations of food or bottled water, and our pantry's current greatest needs are posted on our website. We also have volunteer opportunities in the pantry every week if you'd like to get more involved.
What is your favorite part about working in Little 5 Points? The Little 5 community has a unique history and a distinct spirit and culture that I love. People care about this community and about the values of creativity, openness, and acceptance that have always thrived in the neighborhood. I've been coming to L5 as an eastside neighbor for years, but I'm enjoying getting to know longtime residents and business owners on a deeper level as this project has kicked off. Nowhere else in Atlanta is quite like Little 5!