North American Properties (NAP) plans to develop a nearly 60,000-square-foot apartment community for City of Refuge, a nonprofit on the Westside dedicated to transforming lives through vocational training programs, healthcare, childcare and more.
The new housing will serve residents of the local community and students who are engaged in City of Refuge’s programs.
On Thursday, October 18, City of Refuge and NAP will host a community groundbreaking celebration with representatives of the City of Atlanta, corporate partners, employees, residents and students of the nonprofit.
“City of Refuge is an outstanding organization that offers individuals a second chance at life and provides a safe haven for those in need. Our NAP ExperienceMakers are eager to be a part of this unique housing project that will contribute to the restoration of the Westside,” said Mark Toro, City of Refuge board member and managing partner of North American Properties Atlanta. “Over the past 4 years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the board at City of Refuge, and I am proud to work alongside the talented individuals who are making a difference in the lives of so many.”
The 47-unit complex will be comprised of a mix of two-bedroom-two-bath and three-bedroom-two-bath apartments ranging from 932 square feet to 1,153 square feet.
The residential piece will be the first freestanding offsite multifamily building at City of Refuge and will predominantly serve the housing needs of students in educational programs at the newly opened Workforce Innovation Hub, which provides opportunities for sustainable career transformation by integrating vocational training, mentoring and job placement.
Currently, the Workforce Innovation Hub provides a variety of workforce skills training in the areas of automotive, culinary arts, customer service, security and patient care.
Through the help of partners like NAP, City of Refuge has transformed the lives of more than 20,000 individuals.
Since the start of 2018, City of Refuge has placed nearly 200 graduates of the various vocational training programs in jobs and is on track to place 400 graduates by the end of this year.
In September, the Workforce Innovation Hub launched its first six-month junior developer training program at its newly opened Tech Academy and introduced 25 local students to the world of coding.
“We are extremely grateful for the commitment of each of the companies lending a hand on this project to help shed a light on the 30314-zip code,” said Bruce Deel, founder and CEO of City of Refuge. “There is so much young talent contributing to the success of this new building and it is truly inspiring to see the next generation leading the way. Our partners, volunteers and employees are what keeps this organization progressing, and we can’t wait for construction to get underway.”
NAP expects to finish construction next summer and plans to work with Atlanta-based design and construction firms, including Dwell Design Studio as the lead architect, Tuckercraft, Inc. as the general contractor, Summit Engineering Consultant, Inc. as the civil engineer, Crosby Design Group as the interior designer, United Consulting for environmental/geotechnical testing, and Roy Mitchell with Permit Consultants, Ltd as the lead for permitting.
City of Refuge was founded in 1997 to assist homeless women and children in transition by providing a safe haven. The organization offers housing, support and resources to victims of sex trafficking in House of Cherith, and mothers with children and single women in Eden Village.
