Compassion

Date Posted: July 27, 2026

Grace Episcopal Outreach Mission Spotlight
Bonus content on the Glimpses of Grace podcast feed

Welcome to the next episode of the Grace Episcopal Outreach Mission Spotlight, a series on the Glimpses of Grace podcast highlighting community partners supported by the Grace Episcopal Outreach Ministry in Gainesville and Hall County, Georgia. Each episode features local organizations making a measurable impact through service, advocacy, and compassionate support.

Bridging the Gap: How Gainesville’s Unity Project Is Bridging the Gap Between Homelessness and Hope

Unity Project is bridging the critical gap between the need for and – availability of – services for our unhoused neighbors in Gainesville. Michael Fisher of Ninth District Opportunity shares how this grassroots initiative brings life-saving medical care, mental health support, housing services, and even pet care directly to Gainesville’s homeless community, all thanks to a broad coalition of partners. But the real story is in the stories of resilience, hope, and transformation that unfold every week, proving that community-driven solutions can create lasting change. You’ll discover how Unity Project coordinates with law enforcement, healthcare providers, faith groups, and local businesses to serve hundreds of unhoused neighbors in need. We break down innovative programs like street triage clinics, pet-friendly services from Project Street Vet, and clothing initiatives that restore dignity. You’ll also learn how these efforts connect to Georgia’s Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry system, creating a model that could reshape homelessness response statewide.

Michael shares concrete examples of clients whose lives have pivoted from despair to hope, driven by community compassion and strategic collaboration. This episode uncovers the vital importance of bridging gaps—not just in providing services, but in understanding the complex human stories behind homelessness.

Resources:

• StreetExit (Facebook)
• Unity Project Gainesville (Facebook)
• StreetExit – North Georgia Coordinated Entry (Facebook)
• Ninth District Opportunity (Facebook)

The Glimpses of Grace podcast is a ministry of Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, Georgia. We are passionate about supporting the spiritual growth of souls, and we hope these sermons and conversations meet you where you are and enrich your soul as we all continue to make meaning in the world today.

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Transcript

Bruce Leyton (00:05)
Good morning. Hi. Hey, Michael. so our listeners know who we are. I’m Bruce Leyton, a parishioner at Grace Episcopal and a member of the Outreach Committee. And with me today is Michael Fisher. And Michael, the title I have for you, it’s a formal title. I’m sure you’ll tell me exactly what you do. But Michael is street outreach director with 9th District Opportunity. And I was hoping today might

Mike Fisher (00:07)
Good morning, my friend.

Let’s go with

that.

Bruce Leyton (00:30)
Let’s go with that. Perfect. And that’s a new title, so congratulations It represents the good work that you’re doing in the in the community. And with that said, I’d I’d love to delve into your work at Unity Project

Mike Fisher (00:45)
Well again, my name is Michael Fisher. As you said, I work with Ninth District Opportunity. It’s a community action agency that serves Northeast Georgia. We serve 20 counties. we are an organization that works to reduce poverty and the causes thereof and try to stabilize families and individuals. And for the last seven years.

we’ve also kind of started the whole process of working with the homeless. we saw a need that wasn’t being looked at, addressed, or even talked about. We brought it to the forefront and been very fortunate the way people have responded to that message, that story, that need. And currently we have a pretty sizable footprint that we’re bringing into each community.

we have projects going on presently in a number of counties throughout the 20 County region that we cover. Street Exit was our first foray into Hall County. and Street Exit was just a name I picked at random because I got tired of people talking, just saying Michael Fisher. So I said, let’s just make call it something so they don’t just talk about me, because I don’t want it to be about me. I want it

Be about the community’s response, the people that have gotten behind it, and the people that are having amazing outcomes. And I that’s the part that really me and it gets me up early in the morning and keeps me up late at night is seeing the outcomes, the success, and the ch lives that are changed because of the people that are working with our our friends now that are have been homeless or are currently homeless.

Bruce Leyton (02:24)
so tell me Unity Project is a combination and driven by a number of partners, right? So c can you tell us something about the the partners and then maybe how you’re organized internally to to work with the community?

Mike Fisher (02:39)
Yes, and I want to clarify that this is not Michael Fisher Street Exit or Ninth District Project. This is a community response to homelessness. this is a response that came together with a gentleman named Mike Giddens who runs North Georgia Works. And we actually were serving on a panel together many years ago, speaking on homelessness to the community and just kind of got to know each other, had some shared beliefs and philosophies and and kind of stayed in touch.

And then as this need was becoming more pronounced, the city approached Mike about how can we respond to this. And he and I got together, we put together a a projection of how we could respond to this as an a citywide organization. And the city jumped on that, of course, law enforcement, first responders, like I said, city government.

business leaders, faith leaders, or churches, biz businesses. all of them came together, just committed volunteers for this very cause. And so that’s how it developed. And then Liz Coates from Good News Clinic has since become a very vital partner in this. And so that’s kind of the leadership helm that we’re moving forward with. And

I feel so strong about where it’s going and and the excitement of the evolution of this project that it just keeps marching forward with more boldness, more confidence, because we’re seeing more and more success.

Bruce Leyton (04:11)
so you’re actually physically located, the Unity Project is on Dorsey Street, am I correct? Okay. And and how yeah, come on.

Mike Fisher (04:18)
You are correct. On eight eighty one Dorsey Street. literally you know, b let me

back up. I left out a key a key partner. I and I I would be remiss not to mention Steve from Good News at Noon. has been a a great asset and a great partner in supporting this work as well. And I I feel bad that I didn’t mention him with that first grouping.

Bruce Leyton (04:38)
That’s okay.

It took us to geolocate you. So you could they’re right across the street from from okay, good. Glad we got that got that in. yeah, so so as you walk into Unity project, the the physical location, and tell me

Mike Fisher (04:43)
Right across the street, yes.

Bruce Leyton (04:57)
Yeah, what what if I’m a client walking off the street, what do I what do I see first? Is is there an intake and what services are available to me? What do you need to know about me? Can you tell me wha what the process looks like?

Mike Fisher (05:10)
A person comes in. Now, I want to clarify one thing. We are not the platinum level package yet. We we call ourselves the bronze package. And we are not everything to every person at any time with every need that comes through the door. We can’t meet that need and we don’t pretend to do that. so the best way we can be effective is we focus on what we can do and we do it well.

So right now, let’s just take Wednesday is is the prime day that we have for people just to come in off the street. starting at eight o’clock every Wednesday, we have our medical clinic that is there that Liz Coates and her team, Nina, who you spoke with last week. they oversee that along with a number of physicians, Dr. Klaus and many others.

And so it’s an opportunity from eight o’clock until roughly 11, 11:30, depending on the need, where our friends, our neighbors, our guests, our visitors can come in and actually get seen by a doctor. We have nurses, administrators, what have you. we can address issues with prescriptions. you know, a lot of people have issues, diabetic issues, and they’re out of sequence. And so our folks can get them stabilized. We see people that are.

Are in dire need and have had to been rushed to the hospital for life-saving response to that. So this is this is an amazing opportunity for our friends. It’s it’s street triage, is the best way to put it. And so, you know, wounds or or cuts or things that needs issues taken care of right away, infections.

Man, they can get taken care of right now so they don’t become big problems. We also have every other week right now, hopefully we can expand it. Dr. Dotson and Dr. Moon are our mental health clinicians that come in there and make time to visit, to talk, to engage our people with conversation, helping them work through some challenges. You know, living on the streets brings a lot of

Challenge for lack of a better term to our folks. It it you know everyone is not mentally ill that’s homeless. But let’s just emphasize this homelessness does cause mental illness if it’s not addressed after a period of time. The deeper one gets into it, the harder it is to get out, especially mentally. And so this is a vital aspect and and stage in that. From there, we also have the opportunity.

to if they want to take a shower, if they want to come in, use the facilities, the restrooms, we have that available for them as well. But starting at 11 o’clock, we have our service providers there as well, different service providers to help them with identification, they help them with benefits, they help them with insurance, they help them with their food stamps, they help them with job training, recovery, legal issues, probation parole.

housing pathways, domestic violence. unaccompanied minors that that do show up. And then even people dealing with HIV issues, and we’ve got partners that we work with at now. We don’t solve every one of those issues in-house, but we have partners that are on call and available to make referrals to as necessary. So those are options there, which is then followed up by a

an amazing meal, which we have a rotating group of either churches, businesses, civic organizations that bring a hot meal in. We serve our folks, get their bellies full, you know, tell them a few stories, make them laugh, try to make them feel good. And then when that is over, we also have a program set aside just for the women that come in there. And so Paige and Marjorie, some amazing people that work with us.

Just work with them specifically dealing with issues like domestic violence, the issues of of femininity. They do great projects with them, taking out on field trips, doing things to help them look and feel better. It’s just an amazing time for our women and they’re, you know, they can just have be safe knowing that they’re not gonna be any men around and not have to deal with any anything else other than just being there in each other’s presence.

Bruce Leyton (09:32)
So I I get a real sense of belonging and caring for for for for the neighbors. Yeah, no, there’s there’s a real spirit of that. and y you described it as the bronze package, but in listening to an interview done last November, with Michael Giddens,

Mike Fisher (09:37)
God we try to create that, yes.

Bruce Leyton (09:50)
He s characterized it as there being a delay and maybe a gap between wanting help and help becoming available. And that’s what Unity Project’s really doing, bridging bridging that gap. Yeah, which which is amazing stuff.

Mike Fisher (10:00)
trying to bridge that gap. Yes, sir.

Bruce Leyton (10:04)
I heard about

street vets, which seems to be affiliated with the Unity project in some way, shape, or form. It doesn’t seem like there are any gaps in terms of what you’re trying to do. The the bronze package seems like the platinum package for what you’re doing, w what you’re trying to accomplish. So I’m I’m gonna s I’m gonna stop there. Yeah.

Mike Fisher (10:20)
Well, thank you for that observation.

let me just mention Project Street Vet for a second One of the biggest barriers that people face. Well, let me can I back up and tell a little bit? The reason you don’t see a lot of stray animals running loose through Gainesville is because we have these encampments and there’s a a significant homeless population throughout the city. And so they have taken in and they

Given homes to these stray cats and dogs, and they love them with just such a passion, as we all do with our own pets. But for people that don’t have a lot of family, don’t have a lot of support, don’t have a lot of trust, don’t have someone just to kind of encourage and be them, their pets are going to be the most important thing that they have in their world. And to the point where they will sacrifice their own well-being to make sure the pet.

is taken care of. They will sacrifice opportunity if it doesn’t have the chance to bring the pet along with it. And we’ve known this and we’ve experienced it and seen it. However, Dr. Kristen, who runs Project Street Vet here locally, it’s a national organization. We’re fortunate that that she and I have been able to partner up many years ago and what an amazing person she is. The heart just of gold.

So what we’ve got now is we’ve got a couple runs pet runs that are put in the backyard at the Unity Project. So they’re never gonna have to worry about choosing between their pets and getting to services. They can bring their animals, they can set them in the the different runs They can stay there and while they’re there, Dr. Kristen can get them their vaccines, their shots, she can help with neuterings.

a minor surgery. She brings a surgical van to the location, helps them with leashes and collars, dog food, cat food. It’s all there. So the one, the biggest barrier of leaving your pet behind is not a barrier for a lot of our folks now. So that’s been taken off the table.

Bruce Leyton (12:27)
That is fantastic. Thank you for that.

Clothing with a purpose is also housed in Unity? That is an amazing story. Go ahead. So do you want to say anything about that?

Mike Fisher (12:35)
Julie, truly, truly. Yeah.

I

I I we adore her and you talk about energy. There you go. what she has done as far as bringing dignity to our friends, giving them clothes that fit well, that are clean, that are sized appropriately, that match. I mean, what a difference it is than just taking anything that’s just dumped in a field and you just scatter through it and grab whatever you can.

Bruce Leyton (12:48)
Yeah.

Mike Fisher (13:08)
So this way they can have clothes special clothes if they need them for a job interview or for work. and and I also want to emphasize Alex and Stephanie from Big Peach Running in Gainesville who donate shoes like you can’t believe how many pairs of shoes they have donated to our street neighbors and our guests and residents. I mean, in the hundreds and hundreds of brand new.

Top end quality shoes. So they’ve got clothes, they’ve got shoes, bombas, socks donates to us and helps us so everybody gets fresh, clean socks. We can get them underwear. it’s it’s really giving them a lot more dignity in their existence. And and I couldn’t be more pleased with what Julie and her team do. Our people are free when we’re open just to walk in there, there’s a volunteer there to help us get them situated, sized.

And coordinated it’s it’s a wonderful thing that the community has. Thank you, Julie.

Bruce Leyton (14:03)
Yeah.

And and thank you for reminding me that I can probably buy my running shoes. Is it B Big Peach Running is right here in Gainesville?

Mike Fisher (14:11)
Yeah, make sure

everybody goes there and supports that business as well. to the the work of the homeless.

Bruce Leyton (14:17)
Thank you for that. Thank you for reminding me that I shouldn’t always shop on Amazon

Mike Fisher (14:21)
can I just mention one more thing? And I don’t want to bogart your your podcast, but I think this is important to to kind of talk about some of the evolutions that are happening. And these are vital for the community. So Street Exit is evolving. I’ve had some I’ve been fortunate enough to be in it in to have some some positive outcomes and and so I’m gonna be transitioning to a different type of role, which is

Bruce Leyton (14:23)
Yes.

Sure, yeah.

Mike Fisher (14:48)
I’m excited about. I’ve been in meetings and having phone calls and discussions with people over 20 counties, different business leaders, different service partners and the like, trying to bring to this community, which we hope to get in place in the very near future, is a program called Coordinated Entry. this is a national program that goes throughout the United States. And so I’m in the process of developing this with.

many, many, many partners. But in in simplest terms, what it’s going to do, it’s going to unify our intakes, it’ll unify our assessments. it’ll unify mapping, which is kind of a way to determine vulnerability. It it scores people so that it guarantees that the most vulnerable have the greatest access to services when we have limited services. It’s to make sure those that need it the most can get it.

It’s about working with partners and having direct referrals, ongoing follow-up. And the plan is that eventually the whole state of Georgia is going to be interconnected in a service response. So our 20 County region up here is now putting ours together. There’s a few others that are doing the same around the state. And in the near future, you’re going to see all the whole state interconnected in services coordination.

And it’s it’s it’s a national program and I’m pretty excited that we’re gonna be doing that in conjunction with the Department of Community Affairs and Ninth District Opportunity.

Bruce Leyton (16:10)
That

It’s phenomenal. Th this is an amazing place to be. I moved up to Gainesville in twenty twenty one from Roswell once I I was about to retire. And the community that I have found here is just just I don’t know how to describe it, what an amazing place.

Mike Fisher (16:34)
The response has been amazing through these years. So you’re you couldn’t be more correct. whether it’s Hall County, Habersham County, White, Dawson, Lumpkin, Forsythe, Raven, Union. I mean, the response to people in need has been fantastic. Very encouraging.

Bruce Leyton (16:36)
Yes.

and

and everybody’s rowing together. I mean that is the the amazing thing is

Mike Fisher (16:57)
Yes. We all look like Norway

fans at the World Cup.

Bruce Leyton (17:02)
Michael, I’m just going to read a short statement and then and then thank you. Grace Episcopal Church is a congregation in communion with all that is God, seen and unseen. We are led by the example of Jesus Christ and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to support each other through prayer, formation, worship, and service. We will welcome all with kindness, acceptance, and love with God’s help.

Mike Fisher (17:04)
Very good.

Bruce Leyton (17:24)
We are grace, grounded in faith and relentless in compassion. So Michael, I wanna thank you. I thought that was a good place to end. And we’ll talk soon. Thanks for participating.

Mike Fisher (17:34)
Thank you, brother.