History and Timeline

Established as Georgia CHARLEE (Children Have All Rights-Legal, Educational, Emotional) with the state’s first specialized group homes for children and youth with behavioral/emotional challenges and who could not thrive in foster homes

Created Georgia’s first independent living program to address the needs of youth aging out of foster care

Georgia CHARLEE became “CHRIS Homes” representing our core values of Creativity, Honor, Respect, Integrity, and Safety

Launched the Keeping Families Together Program focused on preserving, re-uniting and strengthening families through community-based services

Became Georgia’s first nonprofit to introduce behavior aides as a way to work one-on-one with young people

Received the Managing for Excellence Award from the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta

Operated a children’s Emergency Shelter as one of five statewide pilot sites for the Department of Family and Children Services First Placement/Best Placement Initiative

Opened the first program in the Southeast to serve homeless youth with targeted reach to Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth

Renamed the organization “CHRIS Kids”

Opened the CHRIS Counseling Center to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment services to the community at large and pursued specialized training in trauma, substance abuse treatment, and play therapy

Created the CHRIS Training Institute for other industry professionals and organizations seeking quality training opportunities

Opened an EarthCraft Certified apartment complex, Summit Trail, to provide supportive housing to single and parenting youth, ages 17 – 24, who are homeless or aging out of foster care. Constructed and opened the CHRIS Counseling Center & Education Center next to Summit Trail Apartments

Received the Managing for Excellence Award from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Launched the CHRIS Clubhouse: In partnership with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, we provide young adults ages 15-21

Began trauma-informed adoption services and established the state’s first Gateway foster home, allowing sibling groups in foster care to heal, live together, share experiences, and support each other

Developed Trauma STARs, a specialized training to help the human service workforce, educators, police, and others identify, understand, and respond effectively to traumatized children and adults.

Expanded the CHRIS Counseling Center partnerships to include 24 schools and 28 nonprofit partners

Rebranded the organization “CHRIS 180”