From Emergency Shelter to Lifeline: Brookdale Marks Five Years of Changing Lives in Macon

MACON, Georgia – When you walk through the doors of the Brookdale Resource Center in Macon-Bibb, you’re greeted by a smiling security guard, welcoming staff, and a floor-to-ceiling mural that simply says “Hello.” Message boards highlight job openings, housing opportunities, and community services.

It feels warm. Intentional. Hopeful.

Five years ago, it looked very different.

The building — once an elementary school that closed in May 2020 after merging with Riley Elementary to form John R. Lewis Elementary — sat empty. Old desks and chairs were scattered across rooms, many overturned and unusable.

Then tragedy struck.

After the Christmas deaths of two men experiencing homelessness, then Mayor-elect Lester Miller directed Macon-Bibb departments and community partners to open an emergency shelter immediately.

Under the leadership of the Emergency Management Agency, a plan was formed, services organized, and the facility converted and opened in less than two weeks.

“I was a person who was one light bill away from being homeless myself [growing up],” Mayor Miller said of his personal connection to the mission and the urgency behind it.

A Crisis Center, Not a Hotel

In those early days, the goal was simple: keep people alive.

“This was a crisis center, basically. This was not a hotel,” said Steve Bell, the Center’s first Executive Director. “I’m just trying to make sure you stay alive.”

When the doors first opened, there were cots and donated linens. Bathrooms existed, but there were no showers. The kitchen wasn’t operational. There was no formal meal service.

So the call went out: We need help.

And the community responded.

Tens of thousands of donated items poured in — clothing, hygiene products, backpacks, coats, socks, shoes. Volunteers signed up to prepare and serve three meals a day. Businesses donated tens of thousands of dollars without being asked.

“It was such an overwhelming response, we had to stop accepting donations here at Brookdale and set up a drop off location at the Fire Station down the street,” said EMA Director Spencer Hawkins.

Bell described the response as unlike anything he had seen.

“I’ve never seen the community support something like they did Brookdale,” he said. “My heart was overwhelmed with the amount of love that came out of this community.”

From Warming Center to Resource Center

At first, the mission was survival. A warm bed. A hot meal. A conversation with a caseworker.

“Initially, when we opened, it was simply to give them a warm place to stay and a meal and then give our caseworkers a chance to have a conversation with them,” said Alison Bender, who began as a volunteer and later became Executive Director.

But the mission quickly expanded.

The Brookdale Warming Center evolved into the Brookdale Resource Center.

Residents began receiving help obtaining birth certificates and Social Security cards. Staff assisted with housing applications, Veterans Affairs services, addiction recovery programs, mental health resources, and job applications. Real-world skills were taught. Holiday celebrations and birthdays were held. Children received homework help and tutoring.

The goal was no longer just shelter. It was stability.

“The folks walking in through this door are coming in at some of the worst moments in their lives,” Hawkins said. “We need to ensure they are treated and cared for with respect, dignity, and compassion.”

“It’s already traumatic in some way for everyone involved, and we just want people to feel like they belong here while they’re here,” Bender added.

Lasting Impact — On Everyone

Bender still remembers the names of children who stayed at the center and proudly tracks their progress in school. Staff members often run into former residents in stores or around town.

“I’m proud of you; congratulations,” Bender said she wishes she could tell every person who passed through. “I knew you could do it all along. I’m glad you believed in yourself.”

Brookdale hasn’t just changed the lives of those who stayed there. It has changed the people who serve there.

“The people we see, the people that come through, have an impact on us, I hope as much as we have on them,” Bender said.

Mayor Miller echoed that gratitude.

“Thank you for changing the life of a child,” he said of the volunteers, donors, and staff who have supported the center.

Five Years Later

Five years after opening in an emergency response, nearly 5,000 people have come through Brookdale’s doors.

Nearly 5,000 people have had a warm, safe place to sleep and an opportunity to move toward permanent housing.

And the work isn’t finished.

“We still have people living on the streets. We still have people not turning on the heat in their home because they can’t afford it,” Hawkins said. “The community needs us to step in a way that is still necessary five years after we opened these doors.”

What began as a rapid response to tragedy has become a cornerstone of Macon-Bibb’s approach to homelessness and housing insecurity.

It started with a building that once stood empty.

It grew because a community opened its arms.

And five years later, it continues because people refused to accept that anyone should be left out in the cold.