Atlanta opens its third rapid rehousing development for unhoused residents

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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens toured the Waterworks Village and stopped to appreciate the community washing machines.

Credit: Amanda Andrews / GPB News

On Wednesday Atlanta officially opened its latest rapid rehousing development for the city’s homeless residents. Speakers at the event included Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Chief of Staff Courtney English, Deputy Chief Housing Officer Chatiqua Ellison, and Partners for HOME CEO Cathryn Vassell.

The Waterworks village includes two buildings made of shipping containers with three floors of studio apartments. The project was a collaboration with Atlanta Watershed to develop underused property near the Atlanta City Water Works Reservoir.

All 100 units are wheelchair accessible and include a restroom and full-size refrigerator. A third of the units will also have access to on-site medical care through Project HEAL (Homeless Empowerment through Accessible Living). It’s a collaboration with six Atlanta area hospitals.

Dr. Mark Holzberg co-chairs the project. He said the average homeless individual is admitted to the hospital four times a year.

“Project HEAL is going to provide medical and mental health supportive care, in home, keeping those individuals out of the hospital," he said. "Discharged to a warm bed instead of discharged to the street.”

Atlanta opened its first 40-unit shipping container village, The Melody, in downtown Atlanta last year. Partners for HOME CEO Cathryn Vassell carries out the city’s plans to end homelessness. She said the high cost and low availability of housing drives homelessness.

“We know that physical disabilities, mental illness, drug use, poverty, weather, public assistance, economic mobility, that none of these, according to the research, are as impactful or as big of a driver of a community's prevalence of homelessness as its market conditions,” Vassell said.

Vassell said residents will be able to begin moving into Waterworks Village this month. This is Atlanta’s third rapid rehousing project for unhoused residents.