Charles Edwards (2011-12-21)

ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - The impact of Georgia's high unemployment rate is wide spread. In Atlanta, it's led to a significant change for at least one of the city's homeless organizations.

The Atlanta Children's Shelter is 25 years old. Over that time, executive director Sandy Keating says single mothers were the main ones who needed the group's help.

"Historically, the number one reason why families were homeless in our program was domestic violence," said Keating.

During the day, those women needed care for their children while they looked for a job or a place to live. In 2010, Georgia's unemployment rate hit 10%. Since then, Keating says it's been more than single women knocking on the shelter's doors.

"We started seeing more what we call intact families, which was 2 parent households coming into the program and more fathers in the program," said Keating. "What was touching them more was not domestic violence but unemployment."

Typically, the shelter serves at least 60 families a year. In 2010, more than 38% of those families were there because of unemployment. While that number dropped to 33% this year, it's still the second year in a row unemployment topped domestic abuse at the shelter. To adapt, the shelter has added mentor programs for men. She says they've also changed their employment program for some of those families.

"We realize we don't have to start our parents at the GED level," said Keating. "We can get them straight into the job search level. So, it's really just staying relevant to that changing need."

Keating says a growing number of people who need the shelter's assistance have degrees and resumes.