ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens on Tuesday announced an effort to secure up to $120 million to combat homelessness with affordable and supportive housing in the city.
In a press conference at Woodruff Park, the mayor said the initial portion of that $120 million would come from $10 million out of the Atlanta Affordable Housing Trust Fund, with $50 million further provided by the city through a homeless opportunity bond he said he's asking the City Council to authorize. Councilmember Jason Winston was on hand to show his support.
Dickens said the hope is for the remaining $60 million to come via philanthropic sources, calling it a public/private partnership that if seen to fruition would be "the single largest investment in homelessness in Atlanta's history."
The money, Dickens said, would go to 700 new units of "high quality, deeply affordable housing" including 200 permanent supportive housing units as well as 500 quick-delivery housing units. The mayor's hope is for this to be realized by the end of 2025.
"This is not just about offering someone a roof for just one or two nights, it's about creating a pathway and building a foundation for a better life," Dickens said.
He pointed to the pilot project "The Melody" that opened earlier this year that created 40 "rapid" style units -- small studio apartments crafted in shipping containers.
There was not on Tuesday a timetable presented for securing the additional $60 million, or when the City Council may take up the $50 million bond. Dickens however pointed to two projects already underway -- one is the Waterworks rapid housing project at Northside Drive and 17th Street, where he said they expect to break ground for two multistory buildings with about 100 "state-of-the art modular" units. Those will serve Atlanta residents experiencing homelessness, with the mayor projecting a groundbreaking in the fall and units delivered next year.
The other project highlighted by Dickens is the 405 Cooper rapid housing project in the Mechanicsville neighborhood, which he described as a "conceptual" mixed-income development with 70 for-sale townhomes alongside 100 units of permanent supportive housing similar to what is being incorporated in the Waterworks project.
Dickens said he believes "lack of affordable housing has reached a crisis level" and that "we still have much more to do to ensure the safety, the dignity and the wellbeing of every single resident in our city."
See Mayor Dickens' full press conference below: