Genesis Joy House founder Margaret Queen-Flowers remains walking in her purpose | Remarkable Women

WARNER ROBINS — Dr. Margaret Queen-Flowers answered a calling to serve when she founded Genesis Joy House. Since then, she has created a safe haven for homeless female veterans and has changed the lives of countless women in her community.

Since childhood, Queen-Flowers helped her grandmother feed the homeless in Washington, D.C., where she was born. Later, she moved to Warner Robins because her husband worked for the federal government. Married for 39 years, they have four children and 11 grandchildren.

While Queen-Flowers did not initially know that God’s plan for her was to help the homeless, in January 2011, she began “walking in her purpose” by founding Genesis Joy House.

Through her research, she discovered there were no transitional housing facilities exclusively for female veterans in the state. At that point, she “stepped out in faith” and started the transitional housing facility for homeless female veterans and their minor dependent children.

In the fall of 2016, Bill Livingston of Livingston Properties donated a property to her. The house had been uninhabitable for 13 years, but Queen-Flowers embraced the challenge. This motivated her to pursue grant funding and learn about grant writing.

She then reached out to the community, seeking help from those with expertise in gutting and renovating the property. All the labor was donated, which she saw as a sign that God’s hand was guiding the project.

As a result of these efforts, the organization received grant awards. The largest was $100,000 from Lowe’s Hometown Improvements, which helped finish the project.

At the same time, Queen-Flowers continued full-time work in human resources, where she had built a 30-year career.

She shared that she is always asked, “How did you do that?” and she always says, “By the grace of God.”

“You have to find what your purpose is. God placed all of us in this world and gave us a purpose. We must find out what that purpose is and walk in that purpose. He will give you the strength and the endurance to continue on. So, it was only by the grace of God,” she said.

Queen-Flowers also credits her husband’s support during the renovation. He would bring coworkers and military personnel from Robins Air Force Base to help. Mayors from different cities and the community also stepped up to bring the organization where it is today.

Amid these achievements, Queen-Flowers was diagnosed with breast cancer and required a double mastectomy in 2017. She spent considerable time in the hospital and nearly lost her life, but she felt God was with her throughout.

While she was in the hospital, volunteers continued helping to get Genesis Joy House up and running.

“That was just a blessing. Nobody but God could do that,” she said.

Before the renovations, Queen-Flowers and her husband went into the woods to search for female veterans. From there, they pulled about 45 female veterans out. They helped them get disability payments from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and find housing and employment.

“We really dealt with the holistic piece of a homeless individual. We didn’t just do bits and pieces and put a bandage on this situation,” she said. “We made sure that they were able to get their housing, their funding and any finances that they needed in order to remain independent and self-sufficient.”

Now, over a decade since its founding, Genesis Joy House continues to help female veterans. It remains the only transitional housing facility exclusively for female veterans in the state. Queen-Flowers believes more such facilities should exist, since many female veterans suffer from military sexual trauma.

Genesis Joy House has since partnered with various organizations, including VetBuds in Atlanta. Queen-Flowers said people donate cars to them. Genesis Joy House reaches out to add participants who lack reliable transportation to their list. There is currently no public transportation in Houston County.

Genesis Joy House also offers a 90- to 120-day program that helps homeless individuals build self-esteem and learn life skills. Queen-Flowers shared that approximately 35 women have graduated from their program. When women start, they are given everything they need prior to graduation to ensure they do not return to being homeless.

Because of their partnership with VetBuds, they were able to donate five cars to women who have graduated from the program.

Queen-Flowers served as both her organization’s founder and executive director, managing the daily operations. She recently retired in September 2025. The shelter has appointed someone to fill her role.

“I’ll always be the founder because I started the organization with my vision from the Lord and I knew that was my purpose. Hopefully, they’ll be able to continue my legacy. I did all of the hard ground work,” she said.

Queen-Flowers cites her mother and grandmother as remarkable women. She said her grandmother instilled in her the values of service, blessing others, and helping others become the best versions of themselves.

She described her mother as a very hard-working woman who owned several businesses. Growing up, she would often help her mother.

Queen-Flowers’ mother taught her to hustle and not give up. She often said there was always money to be made if she could find her place.

“My mother and my grandmother were the ones that taught me endurance and to never give up,” she said.

Queen-Flowers believes in “collaboration and not competition,” her philosophy for supporting women. She has always been someone who shares her knowledge, especially since she knows how difficult it was to get Genesis Joy House up and running; she went in not knowing what goes into starting an organization, but she learned and is willing to teach others.

Whenever people reach out about starting a non-profit, she always makes sure to ask, “Are you sure? Is that your purpose?” She said if that is their purpose, God will ensure they succeed.

Now that she is retired, she continues helping her community through her church, Word of Life Worship Center. There, she is helping her pastor write grant proposals to secure funding for their local food bank. They also give out free clothing and food every Tuesday.

“My main goal now is helping to build up the kingdom of God. That’s my next journey in life,” she said.

Queen-Flowers believes womanhood means strength. She says women are the strength of the home. She also believes they can empower others to improve and become leaders.

“I have seen so many great female leaders and I just think God has given us that strength,” she said.

Queen-Flowers also said women often lead with both wisdom and empathy. She believes this is because they understand listening and nurturing, which builds strong communities.

She shared that her experience as a woman has helped her recognize the power of perseverance, which has served her well in starting Genesis Joy House.

Her experience reminded her that leadership is not just about authority. It is about serving others and uplifting those whose voices have gone unheard.

Queen-Flowers shared that they have to show young women that they can do anything they put their mind to and find their purpose.

“As a woman, I’ve strived to lead with integrity, courage and grace. Knowing that representation matters and that our leadership can inspire our future generations of women to step confidently into their purpose.

Queen-Flowers supports other women by prioritizing collaboration, encouraging them and creating a space for one another to grow and succeed.

“I think it looks like celebrating each other’s accomplishments and not being jealous. I think its standing beside another person during their challenges,” she said. “Instead of competing it means collaborating and recognizing that when one woman rises, it creates room for others to rise as well.”

Queen-Flowers said women can do anything they put their minds to, as long as it is a priority and they know their worth.

Everyone’s journey and purpose are unique, and she reminds young women of this. She encourages them to build resilience and know they can make a difference. Most importantly, Queen-Flowers’ advice is to stay grounded in values. She also reminds them never to forget the power they carry to inspire, change, and uplift others.

“Never underestimate the power within them. Their ideas, voices and perspective do matter. They need to be able to walk boldly into any room that once felt closed to them and to remember that they belong there just as much as anyone else,” she said.