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
1986
Created Georgia’s first independent living program to address the needs of youth aging out of foster care
1990'S
1992
Georgia CHARLEE became “CHRIS Homes” representing our core values of Creativity, Honor, Respect, Integrity, and Safety
1994
Launched the Keeping Families Together Program focused on preserving, re-uniting and strengthening families through community-based services
1996
Became Georgia’s first nonprofit to introduce behavior aides as a way to work one-on-one with young people
1998
Received the Managing for Excellence Award from the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta
2000'S
2000
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
2001
Opened the first program in the Southeast to serve homeless youth with targeted reach to Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth
2004
Renamed the organization “CHRIS Kids”
2007
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
2010'S
2010
Created the CHRIS Training Institute for other industry professionals and organizations seeking quality training opportunities
2010
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
2011
Received the Managing for Excellence Award from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
2012
Launched the CHRIS Clubhouse: In partnership with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, we provide young adults ages 15-21
2013
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
2014
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.
2015
Expanded the CHRIS Counseling Center partnerships to include 24 schools and 28 nonprofit partners
