Atlanta mayor proposes $60M to house the homeless

September 3rd, 2024

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens stands at a podium in front of a statue in Woodruff Park. Cathryn Vassell, left, CEO of Partners for Home, and Frank Fernandez, right, President and CEO at Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, stand beside him. — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks at a press conference in Woodruff Park on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for Home, and Frank Fernandez, President and CEO at Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, stand beside him. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)

Atlanta’s mayor proposed a $60 million investment in housing Tuesday as the city grapples with a rising homeless population.

Under Mayor Andre Dickens’ proposal, which needs approval from the City Council, a combination of public and private funds would bolster projects across the city. Dickens said he hopes to build 700 units of affordable housing by next year. A Democrat who is up for reelection in 2025, Dickens said the funding would be the city’s largest single investment in homelessness to date if the City Council approves it.

“I believe that the lack of affordable housing has reached a crisis level, not just here in Atlanta, but in cities all across the United States of America and in every part of our region,” Dickens said at a news conference in downtown Woodruff Park, where many homeless people often congregate.

The funding would come from a $50 million bond, along with $10 million from Atlanta’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Dickens said the city hopes that with additional private giving, public and private spending on reducing homelessness will rise to more than $120 million.

The city repurposed a set of shipping containers into 40 studio apartments that make up a community known as “The Melody,” which opened in January. Cities including Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles have opened similar developments that include medical and social services as they work to solve what has become a nationwide struggle to get people housed.

Two new Atlanta projects are already underway. A rapid rehousing project northwest of downtown will provide 100 modular units next year. Another project south of downtown will offer mixed-income units that include 100 units of permanent supportive housing.

Dickens promised to focus on affordable housing early in his campaign. The 700 units of affordable housing that the mayor wants to finish by the end of next year include 200 permanent supportive housing units and 500 quick delivery housing units paired with support services, he said.

Partners for Home, an organization that works with the city on housing, will receive $10 million from Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. Partners for Home CEO Cathryn Vassell said the group found housing for almost 2,500 households last year. But Vassell hopes to raise another $43 million in private funds to manage services for an increasing number of homeless people.

“We need to rehouse more people, and we need to rehouse more people faster,” Vassell said. “We must move like we have not moved before, and our system must be fueled to respond to the emergency that homelessness is.”

A survey from last year found that a large number of homeless people battle mental health issues, Dickens said. Vassell said she hopes governments will offer more mental health services, especially to a group of people who often don’t have health insurance.

“This is not a one-and-done issue,” Vassell said. “We have to continue to invest with the right level of resources, at the right pace and scale, as quickly and humanly possible.”