Atlanta’s homelessness response is not one program or one property. It is a coordinated ecosystem grounded in housing as the solution. At the center is Hope Atlanta, working alongside Partners for Home and community partners through a Housing First, place-based approach.
That work is visible at:
WATERWORKS
Permanent supportive housing with on-site case management, healthcare access, and wraparound services.
WINNWOOD AT ENGLEWOOD
Safe, dignified housing paired with intensive support for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.
BONAVENTURE
Housing focused on stability, accountability, and forward movement.
THE MELODY
Rapid housing micro-units repurposed from shipping containers.
Waterworks: Building a City Where Health, Housing, and Dignity Meet
Waterworks was created to answer a defining question for Atlanta: what does it look like when a city designs housing, health, and dignity together—on purpose?
The answer is a permanent supportive housing community with 100 homes, on-site wraparound services provided by Hope Atlanta, and an integrated physical and mental health care model shaped by years of planning, trust-building, and cross-sector collaboration. Waterworks reflects a shared understanding across the city that housing stability is not just a social service—it is essential infrastructure.
As Atlanta prepares to welcome the world for the FIFA World Cup 2026, this work illustrates what it truly means for a city to be ready.
“Being ‘ready’ isn’t just about stadiums, transit, or hotels. It’s about people,” said Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for Home. “A truly ready city ensures that everyone has a safe place to live and that systems are strong enough to respond with dignity and care.”
A Coordinated System, Built to Last
Waterworks and Project HEAL are part of Atlanta Rising, the city’s strategy to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. That work includes expanding housing pathways, strengthening healthcare coordination, preventing families from entering homelessness, and investing in long-term system infrastructure.
“Strong leadership means coordination, transparency, and outcomes,” Vassell said. “Using data, aligning partners, measuring progress publicly, and staying focused on housing as the end goal—especially in moments of heightened visibility.”
Importantly, the coordination being built now is designed to hold—not just during FIFA, but long after the final match is played.
A City Ready for the World—Rooted at Home
As global attention turns to Atlanta, Waterworks offers a clear and grounded answer to what readiness truly means. Not displacement, but pathways. Not short-term fixes, but lasting solutions. Not managing homelessness, but working to end it—through permanent housing, coordinated healthcare, committed staff, and a community willing to show up.
“If global leaders are watching Atlanta in 2026, I hope they see a city that leads with both compassion and coordination—one that chooses housing over crisis, collaboration over fragmentation, and long-term solutions over short-term fixes,” said Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for Home.
At Waterworks, that vision is already taking shape—through the expertise of healthcare partners, the dedication of Hope Atlanta’s staff, the hands of volunteers, and a city choosing dignity for its neighbors, one home at a time.
As Atlanta continues to grow and prepare for moments of global visibility, Waterworks reminds us that readiness is not measured by what the world sees for a few weeks—but by what our neighbors experience every day.
“Readiness isn’t something you turn on for an event,” said Elizabeth Banks, Chief Operating Officer of Hope Atlanta. “It’s built over time—through strong partnerships, consistent care, and a commitment to showing up for people long before the spotlight arrives.”
Projects like Waterworks reflect the kind of city Atlanta is choosing to be—one that invests in permanent solutions, supports frontline teams, and centers dignity at every step.
“When housing, healthcare, staff, and community come together, stability becomes possible—and that stability holds,” Banks added. “This work isn’t about a moment. It’s about building systems that last and communities where people can truly heal, belong, and move forward.”
Hope Atlanta’s work makes one thing unmistakable: lasting change doesn’t happen in moments of attention, but in daily acts of coordination, compassion, and commitment to people—every day, in every season.
This is sponsored content.
