Latest from Poverty and Equity
As the Season of Thanksgiving Begins, Georgia Faces a Growing Crisis — and Our Community Has a Critical Role to Play
As we enter the season of Thanksgiving—a time rooted in gratitude, generosity, and reflection—thousands of Georgians are facing a winter of profound uncertainty. Freezing temperatures are arriving early. SNAP benefits are halted during the federal shutdown. And families who were already stretched thin are now being pushed into crisis at a time of year when…
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Hope Atlanta is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness while addressing systemic poverty in Atlanta and beyond. With a legacy spanning over a century, Hope Atlanta provides essential services, including housing assistance, food security programs, behavioral health services and supportive services for individuals and families in need. The organization works closely with policymakers, community partners, and corporate leaders to drive sustainable solutions that empower underserved communities.
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Housing First: Meeting the Crisis in the Field
Every day, Hope Atlanta’s teams are on the frontlines of Atlanta’s homelessness crisis. From MARTA stations to encampments under highway bridges, our outreach workers meet people where they are—often at the most difficult moments of their lives. When crisis hits and prevention isn’t possible, the first and most critical step is housing. By providing a…
As Calls for Help Surge to 15,000 a Month, Hope Atlanta Urges Community Action Ahead of SNAP Disruptions
In Atlanta, the need has never been greater. What once was 3,000 calls for help each month has grown to more than 15,000 — each one representing a neighbor in crisis, a family on the brink, or a veteran seeking stability. Our community has always rallied around this mission, and because of your compassion, Hope…
From Crisis to Stability: Hope Atlanta’s Field Report on Preventing and Ending Homelessness
Calls to Hope Atlanta’s office have skyrocketed, climbing from 3,000 to more than 15,000 each month. Behind every one of those calls is a story: a mother sleeping in her car with her children, a senior struggling to afford rent, or a young person facing an eviction notice. At Hope Atlanta, we believe homelessness is…
Turning off the Tap
If a tap breaks, we don’t stand by as water floods the floor—we turn it off at the source. Yet when it comes to homelessness, our systems often do the opposite: we focus almost entirely on emergency response after the flood has already occurred. Shelters, emergency rooms, and law enforcement are essential, but they are…
When Housing Is Uncertain, Learning Suffers: Why Back to School Starts with Stability
According to the National Center for Homeless Education, children experiencing homelessness are 87% more likely to drop out of school than their housed peers. And for the students who do stay in school, the impacts are still profound: research shows that they are more likely to struggle with attendance, concentration, behavioral health, and academic performance.…
The Case for a Neighborhood-Focused Response
Why Hope Atlanta Is Investing in Place-Based Strategy Neighborhoods shape everything—from housing access and job opportunities to mental health outcomes and generational wealth. In fact, a person’s ZIP code is one of the strongest predictors of their health—even more than their genetic code. That’s why Hope Atlanta has adopted a Place-Based Strategy that aligns housing,…
More Visible, More Urgent: Homelessness Is Growing—And Changing
You may have noticed it, too.The person outside your grocery store. Sleeping in a car in your office lot. Sitting quietly at your train station. Homelessness in Atlanta is no longer confined to downtown. It’s more visible—and more varied—than ever. One of the biggest misconceptions about homelessness is that it’s mostly caused by mental illness…
Housing, Health & Hope: What Hope Atlanta’s Field Report Reveals – And why it matters
As homelessness becomes more visible—and more complex—in communities across Atlanta, Hope Atlanta’s Summer 2025 Field Report offers a powerful window into both the challenges and the solutions. With family homelessness up 14% and chronic homelessness down 9%, the 2025 Point-in-Time Count reflects a shifting landscape—and a need for adaptive, data-driven responses. Hope Atlanta’s Field Report highlights how…
From Crisis to Hope: How Place-Based Strategies Can Reverse the Rise in Family Homelessness
Across the country, family homelessness is rising at an alarming rate. In 2024 alone, the number of people in families with children experiencing homelessness surged by 39%—the largest increase of any demographic group. Here in Atlanta, the number of families experiencing homelessness rose by 14%, even as chronic homelessness declined. These aren’t just numbers—they’re mothers…
Shifting the Stigma: Rewriting the Narrative Around Homelessness and Mental Health
When you think of someone experiencing homelessness, what image comes to mind? For many, the answer is shaped by decades of media portrayals, political rhetoric, and public myths—images of tents under bridges, untreated mental illness, and individuals who appear to have “given up.” But these ideas are not only incomplete—they’re dangerous. They fuel stigma, reinforce…
Housing Is Health Care: How Hope Atlanta Is Redefining Behavioral Health for People Experiencing Homelessness
By Kala Farrare, LCSW-C, LCSW, Sr. Director of Clinical Operations At Hope Atlanta, we are building a behavioral health program rooted in the realities of homelessness, where safety, stability, and trust must come first. Traditional outpatient models assume a baseline of security. But for someone living on the streets or in survival mode, behavioral health…
Trapped in the Cycle: How Behavioral Health, Homelessness, and Substance Use Are Intertwined — And What Hope Atlanta Is Doing About It
Homelessness is more than just a housing issue—it’s a public health crisis affecting communities across North America and around the world. Mental health struggles and substance use can put people at greater risk of losing their homes, and once someone becomes homeless, the stress and trauma of that experience often make these challenges even worse.…
Hope in Motion: How Hope Atlanta and MARTA Are Redefining Community Care in Transit Spaces
When most Atlantans think of MARTA, they think of movement: trains, buses, the daily flow of a bustling city. But for those without a place to call home, MARTA is often the last place of shelter when every other option has disappeared. Recognizing this sobering reality, Hope Atlanta and MARTA forged an innovative partnership—MARTA HOPE—to…
Medical Debt: A Hidden Barrier for Veterans
Across Atlanta, there’s a silent crisis pushing thousands closer to homelessness: medical debt. For many residents, the financial strain from one health emergency can quickly become overwhelming. In a city where affordable housing is increasingly hard to find, medical debt has quietly become a powerful force, driving families toward eviction. Nationally, this crisis is huge.…
Grandparents Raising Kids: The Silent Struggle
Across Atlanta, an invisible crisis is quietly reshaping family life. Grandparents, once planning for retirement, are stepping back into parenting to raise their grandchildren. It’s a hidden chapter of the housing crisis that rarely makes headlines, but it’s quietly transforming lives across the city. Over the past decade, the number of grandparents serving as primary…
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