As one of the partners in Atlanta’s Contiuum of Care, Hope Atlanta has been honored to share the mantle of ending homelessness with the City of Atlanta and other organizations city-wide. Through this partnership initiatives such as Lift 1.0, Lift 2.0, and the latest, Atlanta/Downtown Rising, have been able to successfully house and rehouse thousands […]
Category: Thought Leadership
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
The Growing Number of Young Georgians Experiencing Homelessness Need our Support
By Greg Barrett, Senior Manager of Leadership & Learning, GEEARS Here’s the thing about the first years of a child’s life—all the stakes are high. This is why GEEARS approaches our early childhood advocacy holistically. Babies and young children can’t fully benefit from high-quality early care and learning if they don’t also have nourishing food […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Every Acre Matters: Georgia Conservancy’s New Strategic Plan
Venture anywhere across our great state and you’ll see signs of change. Whether it’s industrial warehouses, new subdivisions, or transportation projects, our landscape is changing—and fast. Atlanta is no stranger to this growth, fueled by low-intensity development. But now this change is accelerating everywhere. From Rome to Savannah, and from Athens to Valdosta, our farmlands, […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Share the Shore with Georgia’s seabirds and shorebirds this holiday weekend!
By Sarah Cantwell and Sarah Manning, Birds Georgia America’s 250th birthday isn’t the only thing being celebrated this weekend – we’re celebrating birds! Seabird and shorebird chicks are incubating, hatching, and fledging all along Georgia’s coast. We’re monitoring their success on one of Georgia’s protected bird islands, Cumberland Dividings Bird Island in Camden County. This […]
Posted inSmall Business
Georgia CEOs Have Entered a New Phase of Growth: Here’s What Matters Most
Georgia’s economy has long been recognized for its strength, and while growth has moderated in 2026, the state continues to offer businesses opportunities that many other regions would welcome. The conversation has shifted from simply growing to growing strategically. Economic forecasts suggest Georgia will continue to experience positive, although slower, growth through the remainder of […]
Posted inSustainable Communities
Celebrating Homeownership Month as We Welcome the World
This summer, as one of the FIFA World Cup host cities, Atlanta is welcoming thousands of visitors who are getting a genuine slice of America: diverse, vibrant, and full of possibility. And as we close out National Homeownership Month, perhaps no ideal captures that possibility more fully than homeownership – the idea that anyone, regardless of where they come from […]
Posted inHigher Education
Sean Clarke named dean of Emory’s School of Nursing
Sean Clarke has been appointed as the next dean of Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, effective Aug. 1, 2026. Clarke joins Emory from the New York University (NYU) Rory Meyers College of Nursing, where he serves as professor and the Ursula Springer Chair in Nursing Leadership, following prior service as executive vice dean. An […]
Posted inSmall Business
Mid-Year Check-In: Georgia’s Economic Performance and What It Means for Business
Georgia’s economy is holding strong as 2026 progresses. Record employment levels, continued population growth, and sustained business investment have positioned Georgia well despite broader economic uncertainty. The Georgia Department of Labor reported that the state’s labor force hit a record 5.46 million workers this spring, and employment surpassed 5.27 million, an all-time high. Georgia’s unemployment […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Alliance Theatre Arts Integration on Cox Campus: Empowering Educators with the Arts
By Chelsea Street, Education Marketing Manager, Alliance Theatre What if educators could stream critically acclaimed theater productions for students and receive arts integration training and resources for free? Thanks to an exciting new partnership between the Alliance Theatre and Cox Campus, these “what-ifs” are becoming a reality. Cox Campus is an innovative learning platform that […]
Posted inDesign and Our City
Activating Atlanta Through Wayfinding & Placemaking
Event days in Atlanta transform our city. Downtown becomes a shared civic experience, with streets humming with movement and anticipation as residents and visitors flow between venues, public spaces, and cultural destinations. The vitality of Downtown extends far beyond major events. On any given day, students, workers, tourists, conventioneers, and locals move through the district, […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
One World, One Goal: What Public Health and the World Cup Teach Us About Global Community
Every four years, soccer brings the world together. This summer, the Men’s FIFA World Cup has come to North America, bringing together teams from 48 countries and fans from more than 200. They arrive with different traditions and celebrations, speaking over 100 different languages. Yet, they all play the same game and are working toward […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Wells Fargo’s Long-Standing Commitment to Atlanta
For years, Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation have invested in Atlanta with a clear focus: helping communities thrive by supporting financially resilient families, vibrant small businesses, and affordable places to call home. That commitment continues to show up across metro Atlanta through partnerships with nonprofits, civic organizations, and economic development leaders working to […]
Posted inDesign and Our City
Welcoming the Future of the Arts
By Victoria Walsh, Perkins&Will Architect and Associate Principal, and Katlyn Blong, Perkins&Will Architect, Senior Project Manager, and Senior Associate Radical love isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when considering a renovation project. But spend a minute listening to the Alliance Theatre’s Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Christopher Moses reflect on lessons learned from the […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Beyond greenspace: Why Atlanta’s park water features are essential — and where to find them
By Hannah E. Jones, Park Pride’s Marketing & Communications Manager It’s hot, y’all. Summer might not officially start until June 21, but between the high temperatures and the end of the school year, it sure feels like summer. If you’re looking for a way to beat the heat over the next few months, turn to […]
Posted inHigher Education
How hosting the Centennial Olympic Games 30 years ago changed Atlanta and Georgia State for generations
It felt like a miracle. On Sept. 18, 1990, in a ballroom in Tokyo, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch opened an envelope to announce the host city for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Samaranch paused. Was he surprised? Was there a mistake? Tension high, he spoke. “The International Olympic Committee has awarded […]
Posted inSmall Business
What Georgia Manufacturers Need to Know in 2026
Georgia’s manufacturing sector remains one of the state’s strongest economic drivers, supporting more than 430,000 jobs and contributing billions to the economy, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. As manufacturers navigate 2026, three issues stand above the rest. First, workforce development continues to be a major concern. Manufacturers across Georgia report ongoing challenges finding […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Atlanta Beltline Makes It Easier Than Ever to Volunteer Along the Trail
If you’ve ever wanted to give back to the Atlanta Beltline but weren’t sure where to start, it just got a lot easier. Atlanta Beltline recently launched a new volunteer portal at volunteer.beltline.org, a dedicated online platform that connects Atlanta residents with volunteer opportunities along the corridor and makes it easy to track the impact […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Economic Mobility Is a Team Sport. Is Atlanta Ready to Play?
By Libby Saylor Wright, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta In my last article, I shared a simple belief that young people need more than safe spaces; they need opportunities, experiences, relationships, and preparation for what comes next. This belief has been the hallmark of the work we do at Boys […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
The Power of Parents: As you Advocate for Your Child, You Can Make Change for Many
By GEEARS From the moment a baby is born, their parent or caregiver becomes an advocate. They are their child’s interpreter, their guardrails, their voice. When that child has a disability or developmental delay, advocacy can escalate into a full-time job, as much a part of parenting as changing diapers, running warm baths, and snuggling […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
The Pathway to Self-Sufficiency: A Tale of Two Journeys
This Men’s Health Month, we’re exploring what it means to rebuild stability after homelessness while managing health challenges. In this interview, we spoke with two residents of The Melody, one of Hope Atlanta’s place-based housing locations. Mr. George, an Atlanta native and former truck driver, experienced a series of strokes in a short period of […]
