For years, Decatur resident Margaret Schuelke has been working quietly and diligently to make DeKalb County a better place for all its citizens. As director of Project Community Connections Inc., located in Oakhurst, Margaret oversees an organization that connects people with homes. PCCI assists individuals and families experiencing homelessness with permanent housing placements and connections to mainstream resources. What they do is often called “rapid rehousing”—PCCI assumes the task of placing clients into appropriate permanent housing within the community, allowing other service providers to focus on stabilizing clients with case management.

Later this week, Margaret will travel to the nation’s capital to be honored in a ceremony at the White House as a “Champion of Change in the Fight Against Youth Homelessness.” She is one of only thirteen honorees in the nation. Each week, the White House recognizes a different group of Americans who are making positive change in their communities. This week, the focus is on youth homelessness. At this event, representatives from the US Interagency Council on Homelessness and various White House officials will participate in a discussion with the Champions to hear about their efforts to serve some of our most vulnerable neighbors in their struggle with homelessness. Her story will also be featured on the White House website.

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