https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/01/29/atlanta-homelessness-housing The city of Atlanta is celebrating the opening of its first rapid housing initiative that will provide unhoused people with a permanent place to live. Why it matters: The project, called The Melody, is a "major milestone" towards Mayor Andre Dickens' goal of adding 20,000 affordable housing units in Atlanta by 2030, he said during a ribbon-cutting event last Friday. Details: The Melody features 40
converted shipping containers on city-owned property at 184 Forsyth Street SW near the Garnett MARTA
Station in South Downtown.
Catch up quick: In August, the mayor signed an executive order to allocate $4 million towards the purchase of the containers from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. What
they're saying: "We
wanted to be as thoughtful and as intentional as possible in creating a safe
and dignified community where residents can thrive and find pathways out of
homelessness," Dickens said.
Of
note: The
project is named after Melody Bloodworth, an Atlanta woman who for years
was unhoused and suffered from mental illnesses. She froze to death in
November 2022, The Atlanta Objective with George Chidi reported. A room at The Melody includes a bed, bathroom, and kitchenette. Credit: Kristal Dixon/Axios Cathryn
Vassell, CEO
of Partners for
HOME, which works to end homelessness, said Bloodworth's story not only
shows how the system failed her but also encourages stakeholders to create
programs that can help people get "out of homelessness as quickly as
possible into the right housing solution for them in a neighborhood that they
can call home."
What's
next: Vassell,
who said the cost of the project came in under $125,000 per unit, told Axios
that street outreach workers, assessors at the Gateway Center, and her
group's Coordinated Entry program review people in the housing waiting list
to determine who will move into the new units.
What we're watching: Vassell said efforts to expand the initiative to other neighborhoods will mean getting input from those communities and addressing any concerns they may have. "I
think it's also an educational process to make sure they're aware of what
supportive housing is, but also what it isn't. There's a lot of stigma
associated with it. There's a lot of misconceptions and a lot of unfounded
fear." |
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