Our History
Open Arms, Inc. History
Open Arms, Inc. began in 1991 in response to a Grand Jury’s recommendations to fight child abuse. The Bridge was opened as a temporary shelter for confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect. Since 1991, Open Arms has expanded to include other sheltering programs that broaden the availability of life-altering programs for children, youth, and families that are victims of child abuse, homelessness, and human trafficking. Open Arms, Inc is the umbrella organization which oversees 4 other sheltering programs. These programs are The Bridge, The Maternity Group Home, Transitional Living Program Shelter and Scattered-Site Apartments, and the Emergency Shelter for Unaccompanied Youth and Families. Additionally, we offer two Outreach Programs and Rapid Rehousing.
EVERYONE CAN HELP!
important things you should know
Questions And Answers
For youth that are between the ages of 0-21, call 229-405-8882. For families or youth over the age of 21, call 229-405-8128. For DFCS only (intake for foster care youth), please send a universal application to [email protected] and [email protected]. All in-person intake requests are conducted at 603 Pine Avenue, Albany, GA, 31701. For intakes during non-traditional hours (e.g. after 5 p.m., holidays, etc.), please call the 24-hour Crisis Line at 229-431-0217.
For foster youth, we accept referrals from the entire state of Georgia. (Most youth are from Dougherty and Lee Counties.) For all other programs, our service area is Dougherty County/Albany, Georgia.
Absolutely! Just call 229-431-1121, and we will arrange for one of our staff to speak with your group (in-person or virtually) about our services and/or the issues surrounding child abuse, human trafficking, and/or youth homelessness.
We encourage you to apply for employment and/or volunteering at 420 Pine Avenue, Albany, GA, 31701. (Due to COVID-19, volunteering may be halted indefinitely.) If you have a particular skill or resource, we welcome you to speak with our staff about how you can share these gifts with our youth. We also encourage you to donate financially to us or to the United Way of Southwest Georgia.