re:loom, Initiative’s newest program, is helping low-income adults learn job skills while up-cycling used clothing into handwoven products. This unique service is centered at Initiative’s Weavehouse in DeKalb County, where expert weavers are teaching homeless and low-income members of our community to create handmade gift products for sale.

re:loom now has its own website. www.reloom.org which features many of the handcrafted textiles produced. re:loom’s social media sites include updates on new products, perspectives on the history of weaving, looms, and textile art, as well as on-site photos of re:loom’s weavehouse, where online viewers can see how the products are actually made.

“One of the most important aspects of the project is that it is a place where we can train our homeless clients and other low-income workers to re-enter the job market and become better equipped members of our community’s workforce,” says Lisa Wise, executive director of Initiative. “We can train low-income adults with limited skills to learn basic office skills, production management, computer sales, and customer service, all very marketable skills in today’s economy.”

The project began in 2010 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The planning phase of re:loom started with one donated loom from Agnes Scott College and a master weaver in late 2009. The enterprise now employs ten weavers-in-training, operations staff and weaving instructors