Atlanta Rising: A Collaborative Path to End Homelessness 

By Cathryn Vassell, CEO, Partners for HOME, with support from The Coca-Cola Company 

Atlanta’s fight to end homelessness is gaining momentum — showing what’s possible when data, compassion, and collaboration come together. 

After recent rises in homelessness, Atlanta has reached a turning point. The city’s homeless population has plateaued — a hopeful sign that coordinated action is working. Yet this milestone is not the finish line. It’s a pivot point that calls for continued urgency and investment to build a city where housing resources consistently outpace homelessness. 

As the lead agency for the Atlanta Continuum of Care (CoC), Partners for HOME is driving systemic change through data-driven strategies and cross-sector partnerships. With more than 170 partner organizations and a decade of experience, the groundwork has been laid. Now, through the Atlanta Rising campaign, the city’s leading public, private, and nonprofit partners are scaling proven solutions to meet growing needs. 

The Coca-Cola Company proudly supports this mission, with Bea Perez, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Communications, Sustainability & Strategic Partnerships Officer, serving as co-chair of the Atlanta Rising campaign. Alongside campaign co-chairs Chris Womack, Southern Company Chairman, President & CEO, and Scott Herren, Cisco Executive Advisor and Former Chief Financial Officer — and Mayor Andre Dickens as honorary co-chair — this coalition is demonstrating what it takes to solve homelessness at scale. Mayor Dickens has aptly described the effort as “a group project,” and progress depends on everyone doing their part. 

Building More Supportive Housing 

Atlanta’s lack of affordable housing remains one of the main drivers of homelessness. That’s why Atlanta Rising focuses on creating permanent supportive housing — units that combine long-term rental assistance with wraparound services. 

By the end of 2025, 500 new units will be available for Atlantans most in need. One shining example is The Melody, a permanent supportive housing community developed by the City of Atlanta in partnership with Partners for HOME. 

Built in just four months on a former city parking lot near the Garnett MARTA station, The Melody transformed 40 shipping containers into fully equipped micro-units. Each offers a bed, bathroom, and kitchenette — providing not just shelter, but stability and dignity. 

For James, one of The Melody’s first residents, that foundation has been life-changing. 

For more than five years, James lived on Atlanta’s streets, walking miles each day in pain, searching for food, shelter, and safety. When he moved into The Melody, everything began to change. With stability came reconnection: James reunited with his sister, Cecilia, and six other siblings, relationships he feared were lost. Now, he spends weekends with family, volunteers at the church that once helped him heal, and delivers groceries to neighbors in need. 

“I share my story to give hope,” James says. “If I can get through it, so can they.” 

James’s story is one of hundreds proving that housing plus compassion changes lives — and that innovative, rapid solutions like The Melody work. 

Expanding Proven Interventions 

The Atlanta CoC’s evidence-based strategies — from rapid rehousing to street outreach and diversion services — have already placed more than 15,000 individuals and families into homes since 2017, with 96% remaining housed. 

Atlanta Rising is about building on this success by expanding capacity, training partners, and reaching 6,000 more Atlantans in the next two years. 

Innovating for Complex Needs 

Not every person can be served through traditional housing models. Many face acute medical or mental health challenges that shelters aren’t equipped to handle. To fill this gap, Partners for HOME, Dr. Mark Holzberg, and local hospitals are launching Project HEAL (Homeless Empowerment through Accessible Living) — integrating housing and healthcare for 150+ high-need individuals over the next three years. 

Preventing Homelessness Before It Happens 

Ending homelessness also means stopping it before it starts. With support from Cisco, Partners for HOME is working with Destination: Home’s Right at Home initiative to design a proven prevention model for Atlanta that combines legal aid, financial assistance, and connections to resources — expected to keep 1,600 families from losing their homes over two years. 

Revitalizing Atlanta’s Core 

The private sector’s engagement extends beyond housing. Through efforts like the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s “Downtown Atlanta, Reimagined” initiative, businesses and nonprofits are reimagining downtown as a vibrant, inclusive community. 

Downtown Rising, the first phase of Atlanta Rising, aligns with this vision by housing 400 individuals currently living unsheltered downtown — work that goes far beyond preparing for the FIFA World Cup, aiming for lasting change at the city’s heart. 

Atlanta’s Moment for Bold Investment 

The need is clear. The methods are proven. The solutions are defined. 

To date, $156.9 million of the $212 million Atlanta Rising goal has been secured through City investments, public funding, and private philanthropy. With this support, more than 170 Atlantans living unsheltered downtown have already been housed, and 500 deeply affordable units are being delivered. 

This is just the beginning. With continued partnership and investment, Atlanta can lead the nation in ending unsheltered homelessness and building pathways to stability and dignity for all. 

Join our partners like The Coca-Cola Company in answering the call. Learn more at www.AtlantaRising.org. 

Cathryn Vassell, LCSW, is the Chief Executive Officer of Partners for HOME, the Atlanta nonprofit leading the city’s strategy to end homelessness. With more than 25 years of experience serving marginalized communities, she has held leadership roles across healthcare, housing, and legal advocacy sectors. Vassell holds a Master of Social Work from Hunter College and a Juris Doctor from Georgia State University, where she was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 2012.

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