Atlanta surpasses goal to house 400 people before World Cup
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Atlanta's Downtown Rising initiative has helped move over 400 people off the street and into housing, marking a major milestone in its effort to reduce homelessness in the city.
Why it matters: The city's push to house its most vulnerable residents kicked into high gear last year as preparations began for the World Cup.
The latest: Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for HOME, the nonprofit that helps manage the city's strategy to address homelessness, told Axios Wednesday that they've found housing for 430 people who were previously living on the street in Downtown.
Zoom in: Vassell told Axios that Partners for HOME and its coalition of city leaders and stakeholders are shifting their attention to ending "street sleeping" in the Downtown area.
- That work will include incentivizing people to seek shelter instead of sleeping on the street and offering rehousing options for those in need.
Yes, but: While they've been able to estimate how much funding they would need, Vassell said the bigger challenge is predicting how many people will become homeless over a period of time.
By the numbers: The broader Atlanta Rising campaign began last year and seeks to raise $235 million to build 500 new housing units.
- So far, 387 of those units have been constructed and another 112 are expected to open by next month, Vassell told Axios.
- $162 million has been raised so far to fund the construction.
- "I think one of the challenges that our system continues to face is that we do not have an ongoing, dedicated revenue stream, and that is something that the homeless ecosystem absolutely needs," she said.
Friction point: Some advocates have raised concerns that there won't be enough permanent housing available in time before the World Cup arrives, which could lead to people being forcibly removed from the streets.
- "Our fear is that we are on track to repeat the mistakes of the '96 Olympics," said Michael Collins, a member of the Play Fair ATL coalition, which is calling on the city to protect residents from displacement ahead of the World Cup.
- Vassell told Axios while she understands those fears, there's a team of outreach workers who have helped house hundreds of people over the last several months.
The bottom line: For Jordan Barron, moving into Atlanta's third rapid-housing project Waterworks has allowed him to focus on finding employment and getting back into school.
- "It was a big part of me getting confidence back in myself," he said.
- He told Axios most people who are unhoused don't want to be in that predicament, and there are lot of abandoned buildings Atlanta can use to create housing.