The Team
Who We Are?
Gil Reschenthaler was born in El Paso, Texas but grew up in Alberta, Canada. He played and coached hockey and basketball there and his parents encouraged him to volunteer at St. Vincent De Paul which influenced him tremendously. He graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Business Degree. Gil moved to Atlanta in 1988 and in 1998 he founded two real estate companies and rehabilitated residential properties for affordable housing.
Gil’s interest is in providing a stable and encouraging platform for Chronically Homeless individuals to overcome the various challenges that present themselves. He founded Homes of Light in 2011 and currently he along with the terrific Homes of Light Staff are blessed to work with 11 formerly Homeless individuals and just last year assisted 37 formerly homeless individuals to graduate into their own supportive, permanent housing.
Hello All, I am Nadea Thompson, The Program Director for Youth Housing at Homes of Light. I have over 15 years of experience working with youth, having been a foster mom, a Mentor, and an advocate for them. I also believe that if you want change, you must start with our youth and that is why Homes of Light is here. Our Mission is to provide stable and affordable supportive shared housing to our youth while preparing them for the “Real World”.
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Not only are we providing affordable supportive shared housing to our youth; but we are also providing a Financial Literacy Program. Our Financial Literacy Program provides classes that will teach you how to budget, save, build credit and I am here to help you obtain a wealth of knowledge to access resources in the community. i.e. Food stamps, medical, clothing banks, and job opportunities.
In 2008, I found myself homeless with a baby on the way. I knew I urgently needed to put a roof over my family’s heads, but there were many obstacles in my way, and I had no idea how to overcome them all. It all came down to one moment that changed my entire life: the moment someone chose to invest in my family and take an interest in our future. Through this experience, I learned firsthand the many obstacles that people face or even have placed in their paths while aggressively striving to reach stability.
I got connected to United Way of Greater Atlanta, where I worked for more than 7 years while working toward a Bachelor of Divinity degree. It was clear to me that just like God used the people in my community to help my family, I must now work to empower others experiencing homelessness. I have a desire to see those in need beat their obstacles and achieve self-sufficiency. This is why I enjoy the services we are able to provide at Homes of Light, LLC. At the beginning of a new journey, we’ve already been blessed with the opportunity to serve so many people. I look forward to what the future has in store for us and the community. From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you to everyone who has invested in my family and Homes of Light, LLC and to everyone seeking to make a difference in the lives of our
neighbors experiencing homelessness or hardship of any kind.
Gratefully your Community Advocate,
Kinte Rollins
