v     In 1888 following a severe winter storm, these pioneering women called a meeting to discuss the tragic situation of homeless women and needy children. A sponsoring group of 28 women petitioned Fulton County, Georgia and the Home for the Friendless was formed.

v     Operations began in a 10-room house. As demand for services quickly increased, a larger facility was needed. The Home moved in 1890 to a three-story building where capacity increased to 100 women and children. The Home later became exclusively a shelter for school-aged children.

v     In 1920 the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta "adopted" the Home as its first major project. The next year, a functioning Women's Board was formed and a building fund program was launched. The Kiwanis Club contributed the first $5,000.

v     The Atlanta Community Chest, now United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, was organized in 1924. The Home was a founding member.

v     In 1926, eight acres of rolling woodland on Courtenay Dr. in Atlanta were purchased, and plans created for cottage-type residential buildings. Kiwanians had a log rolling at the new site, Kiwanis wives brought a picnic lunch, and the first building was constructed - a log hut for the children.

v     With the move to Courtenay Dr. in 1930, the agency's name was changed to Hillside Cottages - A Friendly Home for Children. The cottages provided short-term care for school-aged children during periods of family emergency.

v     With a bequest honoring the son of Augustus Harvey Turner and funds from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, the Turner administration building (1955) and Evans cottage (1959) were completed. Hillside now had four residential cottages.

v     In response to growing community needs, residential treatment for emotionally disturbed adolescents was introduced in 1970. Facilities were remodeled and staff restructured to conform to standards needed for this type of program.

v     In 1987, Hillside was licensed as a specialty psychiatric hospital. As we entered the second century of service to the community, the cottages remained filled to capacity and the waiting list grew.

v     With increasingly severe problems facing Georgia youth and few beds in Georgia equipped to handle this population, Hillside faced the need to expand again. With support from the state and the community, Hillside launched a $1.5 million capital campaign in 1990.

v     In 1992, a new building - the closed Evaluation and Stabilization Unit - was completed, bringing the total number of beds to 61. Beds in the new unit were filled within weeks. By this time, a gymnasium had also been built, and two outdoor sports courts added.

v     Hillside expanded services again in 1995. Recognizing that some children who have been in residential treatment are not ready or able to return to their home communities, the Therapeutic Foster Care program was launched. The program:

Ø     Enables children to live with specially trained foster families

Ø     Participate in community activities

Ø     Utilize community resources

v     Bridging the transition back to the home community is also a key factor in treatment success. The Hillside Community Intervention Program (HCIP) was created in 1998 to provide family-based treatment services and intervention for:

Ø     Children who have been in institutional treatment for behavior disorders and/or substance abuse, or

Ø     When a child is at high risk for being placed out of the home

v     Hillside launched a $6.2 million capital campaign in 2001 after reaching an agreement with Georgia Power Company to buy the adjacent property. The facility gained 4.8 acres along with a two-story office building and an attached one-story structure. The campaign allowed us to expand and renovate buildings campus wide. Specific improvements include:

Ø   Increasing capacity from 61 to 74 beds through      addition of single bedrooms in each residential unit;

Ø     Converting a house on campus to a girls’ transition unit, which will add 7 more beds;

Ø     Moving administration and therapeutic foster care staff to the two-story office building;

Ø     Building out the attached one-story building to contain work space for the community intervention program, a group therapy room and a large training room;

Ø     Converting the Turner building to a clinical services administrative facility with added therapy and clinician work space, and a family intake room;

Ø     Building a large, professionally equipped kitchen serving the whole campus; and

Ø     Expanding the clinic to add a second exam room, secured medical records area, and a charting room.

v     In 2005,  Hillside completed a major expansion of the on-campus John Conant School.  Improvements included additional classrooms, a computer lab, a library and educational staff meeting and work areas. Hillside will continue to enhance our services by responding to the community's needs. You can help give children a greater chance for a healthy and productive life by:

Ø     Making a donation

Ø     Joining our staff

Ø     Becoming a foster care parent

Ø     Volunteering