CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
OVER 90% OF AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS HAVE INTERNET. FAMILIES EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO GO WITHOUT.
Company Name: Rainbow Village
Name & Title: Melanie Conner, CEO
Location: Duluth, GA
Website: RainbowVillage.org
Industry: Social Services
During the hardest times of people’s lives, Rainbow Village provides a support system unlike any other. For 32 years, the organization has been serving its community. What started out as a small nonprofit that worked with two
families who were experiencing homelessness has grown into a community staple in Duluth. Now, it has the resources and size to support 30 families at once. With a 2.5-acre campus, six buildings of furnished family apartments, a community center, and a family
service center, Rainbow Village’s holistic approach to starting over is leaving a lasting impact on its residents and the community at large.
“Rainbow Village is a community of transformation. It’s an opportunity for families who are experiencing homelessness to start their path toward transformation and self-sufficiency,” explained Melanie Conner, the organization’s CEO. She leads a team of 14 staff and countless community volunteers who are committed to providing housing, supportive
services, financing, mental health resources, employment assistance, and childcare to families in Duluth, Georgia, working toward a fresh start.
FAMILIES’ RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY IS EVER-INCREASING
In her six years as CEO, Melanie has seen the organization’s role in the community evolve. Not only are its offerings more robust, but with lofty growth goals in Melanie’s
sights, Rainbow Village will soon be serving nearly double the number of families that it supports now. “We are looking to serve 36 more families, so 66 in total,” Melanie beamed. “As the program grows in scale, we’ve had to ensure that our technology is capable of growing with it.”
When it comes to making housing accessible, finding employment opportunities, and helping families get back on their feet, the role of technology cannot be overlooked. Before Melanie came on board, residents at Rainbow Village didn’t have any internet access. Under her leadership, that was one of the first changes made. Although Teamspring had been working with Rainbow
Village as an IT service provider for a number of years at this point, James Sanford and his team played a vital role in connecting all resident housing and on-campus facilities to the internet. “That was a major development that came just in time because I can’t imagine having gone through the pandemic without any internet access,” Melanie said.
In today’s digital landscape, technology is a part of everyday life. It’s nearly impossible to succeed without it. James
and the experts at Teamspring continue to improve the technology infrastructure at Rainbow Village. “Right now, they are doing a project in our community center. We have a lot of tutors coming in to work with the children that live here. The internet technology that was installed prior to our partnership with Teamspring was really slow. Tutors had to use their own hotspots to help the kids. James is helping us upgrade that system and strengthen our WiFi capabilities in the community center,” Melanie shared.
FOR TEAMSPRING, IT’S PERSONAL
It’s not lost on Melanie just how lucky the Rainbow Village community is to have Teamspring in their corner. She knows that she and the Rainbow Village team and its residents wouldn’t get the same level of service if they worked
with any other managed IT firm. “James as a person has been such a blessing to the organization. He personally supports the work we do—financially, individually, and through his staff. You don’t typically get those types
of relationships with your IT person,” she noted.
She even recalls a few times when an old computer has completely stopped working, limiting her residents’ access to online resources. Instead of assisting Melanie in picking out a new computer, James will buy one and donate it to
Rainbow Village, further cementing his role as a valued member of the team who goes above and beyond to support families in the community. “He takes time to get to know the individuals in our organization and on our staff to ensure we get what we need. It’s not just a service ticket relationship. James and the Teamspring team are constantly asking, ‘Did you get what you need? Did XYZ project reach its desired outcome? What can we do to make it better?’”
SUPPORT DOESN’T STOP ON MOVE-OUT DAY
The services that Teamspring and Rainbow Village work together to provide have a much bigger reach than the
30 families that are current residents. Rainbow Village is structured in a specific way, cementing the support for former and current residents beyond their time on the Rainbow Village campus for as long as they need it. With extensive programming, numerous learning
opportunities, and endless resources, Rainbow Village— and its residents—rely on technology day in and day out.
At Rainbow Village, there are three main programs that families participate in when rebuilding their foundations: Aspire, Thrive, and Academy. The Aspire Program provides families with fully furnished apartments so they have a safe landing place, can build a rental history, and can access support from success coaches on life skills, parenting skills, job skills, and more. Two years later, when a family graduates from Aspire, they become part of the Thrive Program. The mentorship continues to provide a long-term support system. The Academy Program is for
the children of the Rainbow Village Community where free after-school care, summer camps, and learning days are available to current and former residents.
EYEING THE FUTURE
“Anybody can become homeless; that’s the first thing to understand,” detailed Melanie. “The people that we serve—families that are experiencing homelessness— want the same things that anybody else wants. They want a home, a good school for their children, and a secure future. These families aren’t lazy. Some of these parents work two or three jobs, doing the best they can. We want to help them not only survive but to thrive.”
As the Duluth community grows, nearing the one- million mark, the impact Rainbow Village has on it will grow as well. In the coming year, the number of families served by the organization will nearly double. With the help of passionate volunteers, dedicated staff, and committed partners like Teamspring, the past and present residents of Rainbow Village can build the future that they deserve, that every human deserves.
