Analysis Content Write Up
Jena Turner
UNG Sociology 1101 (11:00 MWF)

As a sociological experience, we were asked to either watch a television series or attend a cultural event that we had never experienced before. I chose to attend a cultural event. I attended a monthly meeting for the House of Joy. The House of Joy (HOJ) is focused on serving homeless women and homeless mothers with dependent children in Gwinnett County, Georgia, who need emergency shelter and crisis intervention services. They are sensitive to both the physical and emotional needs of displaced families. As a faith-based organization that is deeply grounded in Christian principles, their ultimate aim is to share the unconditional love of God with their guests in a compassionate, respectful and empowering way. The HOJ’s mission is to provide women in crisis with immediate assistance, encouragement and—if needed—temporary or transitional housing. At-risk families need a safe wholesome environment in which to recover from or weather the storms of life. These can include physical and/or emotional abuse, divorce, accident or illness, loss of employment/income, legal challenges, etc. Love in Action Outreach Ministries, Inc. (a non-profit organization) was founded in 1998, by Bobigene Pack. Through the years, they have reached significant milestones, serving Gwinnett County well with limited resources. As they endeavor to further meet the needs of their target audience, they are working passionately to generate funds for a physical building that will bring the vision for The House of Joy into full manifestation. This effort will allow them to serve displaced individuals and families. This effort will also help lower some statistics that involve certain individuals involved with the House of Joy. These are some of those statistics:
The 2010 Census data shows that Georgia’s poverty rate was the third highest in the country with Gwinnett County having almost 14% of its population living below the poverty.
In 2011, there were 26,000 evictions and 23,000 foreclosures in Gwinnett County. At the average family size of 2,5, that equals approximately 122,562 family members that lost housing in 2011.
Children without a home are twice as likely as other children to experience hunger, to become sick with moderate to severe health problems, to repeat a grade, to be expelled, suspended or to drop out of school and fewer than 25% graduate from high school, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness (America’s