Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the city council plan to invest $60 million in public funds to provide housing to unhoused residents.
Dickens announced at a Sept. 3 press conference that $50 million would come from a homeless opportunity bond. The other $10 million would come from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund over six years. Expectations are that bond proceeds and philanthropic sources will boost the total to $120 million.
“This is not just about offering someone a roof over their heads for a night or two. It is about creating a pathway and building a foundation for a better life,” Dickens said in a news release.
District 1 Councilmember Jason Winston later the same day introduced legislation at the city council meeting to authorize the $50 million bond and $10 million from the trust fund.
“Housing is a cornerstone of neighborhood infrastructure — just like our streets, sidewalks, transit, and parks,” Winston said in a news release. “Investing in safe, stable, affordable housing for our unhoused residents … is an investment in a vibrant future for Downtown Atlanta.”
The legislation has the backing of the council. Once approved, the new funding would represent the “single largest investment” in addressing homelessness in Atlanta’s history, Dickens said in the release.
Dickens’ office said the funding also points to the mayor’s commitment to revitalizing Downtown Atlanta “through transformative investments in housing, transit, and other building blocks of neighborhood health.”
500 units by the end of 2025 as unhoused population grows
Partners for HOME, the agency charged with organizing the city’s efforts to address homelessness, found in its 2024 Point-in-Time Count that the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Atlanta remained 30% below 2016 levels. But the city’s unsheltered population increased 63% since the pandemic, from 640 in 2022 to 1,040 in 2024.
“Unprecedented growth in the city combined with rising rents and low vacancy rates are creating a daunting challenge: preventing an increasing number of individuals from entering the homeless system,” according to the report.
“To maintain and build on our successes, we urgently need continued and sustained investments, akin to the support provided by previous stimulus funds. Without this critical funding, our ability to combat homelessness will be severely compromised.”
The city’s proposed funding would be used to build 500 “rapid housing” units by the end of 2025. The project would be similar to the $5 million Downtown project known as The Melody. The Melody was the first of the mayor’s rapid housing initiative that transformed shipping containers into micro-units and provides support services to residents.
Two other rapid housing projects are in the works. One is on city-owned land on Northside Drive next to the city’s water reservoir. Another is planned on Cooper Street in Mechanicsville.
Plans for the funding also includes adding 200 permanent units to the city’s existing supportive housing pipeline in newly built or renovated apartment buildings located throughout the city.
