Georgia Works brings housing and hope to historic Sweet Auburn

Last year, Georgia Works celebrated its 10th anniversary. It was a remarkable year that began with the launch of our first-ever capital campaign and ended with us reaching our campaign goal. Now, we’re poised to do more for the men we serve by breathing new life into a national historic landmark located in a renowned Atlanta neighborhood.

Georgia Works was founded in 2013 by Bill McGahan. After volunteering in the point-in-time homeless count that year, Bill was inspired to help. Through his far-reaching research and conversations with providers and Atlanta men experiencing homelessness, Bill learned of the scarcity of resources available to this demographic. This illuminated the need for a program in Atlanta that not only addressed immediate needs, like food and shelter but also provided workforce training that could lead to a stable and sustainable life. Seeded by Bill’s vision, Georgia Works was created to empower men experiencing homelessness by providing case management, job training and placement, transportation and housing.  

Our program has grown significantly in the subsequent years. Georgia Works now boasts 1,100 graduates with remarkable results: 100 percent have a permanent, full-time job and bank account upon graduation; 95 percent have avoided criminal recidivism since graduation; 90 percent are active in the lives of their minor children; and 80 percent are still employed, living independently and contributing to society one year after graduation.  

In July 2020, after serving on the Board for six years, I became CEO of Georgia Works. As you can imagine, it was a challenging time for many, but especially for the men we serve. In the first quarter of 2020, homelessness in Atlanta increased by 10 percent, and finding stable, affordable housing options became even harder for our program graduates. In response, our Board voted in 2022 to merge with our sister nonprofit, Housing Tonight, allowing us to offer modern, shared, permanent satellite housing options to our program graduates, removing a significant obstacle from their path to self-sufficiency. Even so, we knew this was only the first step in addressing this need. We quickly began planning for a longer-term solution, which would require the acquisition of a more permanent location where we could consolidate our operations and provide more housing options to the men in our program.  

A $5 million award through the Georgia Investments in Housing Grant from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget was the cornerstone for what would ultimately become our $14 million campaign. Nestled in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood less than a mile from the birth home of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Odd Fellows Building Tower at 250 Auburn Avenue became the ideal choice. The opportunity to acquire and restore the building to its original prominence and infuse it with a renewed community purpose fully energized us to raise the funds needed to realize our plans.

A year later, we are excited to have met our $14 million campaign goal. Initial conversations with community stakeholders like Big Bethel AME Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church and the adjoining neighborhood districts paved the way for our effort. And we could not have achieved this milestone without the generous investments we received from our champions in the philanthropic community. This includes dedicated foundation, corporate and individual partners who believe in our impact and want to see us elevate our outcomes.

In addition to the initial grant from the Governor’s Office, a net benefit of $2.74 million in New Markets Tax Credits with Atlanta Emerging Markets and Truist Bank, paired with Invest Atlanta’s approval of $1.25 million from the Eastside Tax Allocation District, allowed us to maximize philanthropic support. Today, Georgia Works remains tremendously grateful for all who have played a role in our success. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our donor community and public partners who believe in our mission. These investments in our work will allow us to permanently change lives.  

Now, we are eager to move forward. Our partners at Metro Green Construction have begun the careful work of preserving the historic character of the building while renovating the interior to meet our needs. The building will include office space, 81 units of housing for Georgia Works men and three ground-level retail spaces that will be activated by program participants and anchored to meet community needs. We anticipate opening our new home in early 2025.   

The last decade has been marked by growth, change and now a new home. But our focus and commitment to ending homelessness are resolute: we will continue to provide opportunities and resources to those who need us most.