| FIR'S MISSION |
| To provide affordable, quality homes for adults with chronic mental illness within a supportive program that encourages self-reliance. |
| Family Initiative Residences, Inc. |
| What Is FIR? Family Initiative Residences, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) membership organization composed of concerned family members and supporters of people with mental illness. |
| The FIR Difference: Many people who struggle with mental illness tend to have difficulty with the regimens of daily life and find themselves unable to live on their own. However, FIR encourages residents to live as independently as they can by providing a structured, goal oriented support program that focuses on developing self-reliance through specific lifestyle guidance. When given the opportunity to accept more personal responsibility, residents with a private furnished bedroom, which they are encouraged to personalize, further enhances the resident's independence. Perhaps the greatest benefit of the FIR program is the personal stability residents can achieve. A lower incidence of re-hospitalization can be directly attributed to the program's guidelines on medication compliance. |
| FIR'S Vision: |
| Everyone with a mental illness will have appropriate housing. |
| Our History In, 1985 members of the Georgia Alliance for the Mentally Ill (now NAMI Georgia) formed Family Initiative Residences in order to provide a stable home environment for their mentally ill family members. After a year of severe financial struggle, FIR opened its first personal care home in April of 1986 in Decatur and another in Stone Mountain in October of 1987. The FIR program has grown to include another personal care home and Semi-Independent. |
| Our Support System: The origins of FIR came from family involvement and continue today with the same focus. By encouraging participation in the organization from parents, family members and sponsors, and coordinating their input with caseworkers, physicians, mental health agencies, and the FIR staff, the resident's best interests are recognized. FIR maintains and encourages an open line of communication between all interested parties to help ensure consistency in the resident's lifestyle. |
| Funding FIR is supported by a variety of funding sources including a state grant-in-aid allocated by the Dekalb Community Service Board, The United Way, public and private grants, fees from the residents, and tax-deductible donations. However, as cost continue to rise and cutbacks in federal and local funding continue to grow, simply closing the gap between our operating costs and our funding has become more difficult. The continued success of the FIR program is increasingly dependent on the generosity of those supporters of mental health issues. |
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| 2971 Flowers Road South, Suite 116 Atlanta, Georgia 30341 Phone: 678-530-0071 Fax: 678-530-0094 |
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| Board of Directors |
| More Information: |
| A UNITED WAY PARTNER |