LISTEN: An apartment complex in Decatur that will provide housing for young adults aging out of Georgia’s foster care system is close to opening. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge reports.

Life coach Ryan Mack (left) and former foster child Anwar Hogan pose for a photo

Life coach Ryan Mack (left) and former foster child Anwar Hogan pose for a photo.

Credit: Contributed

Anwar Hogan entered foster care as a teenager and moved into a group home before joining an aftercare program when he reached age 21. 

"He has his own apartment now, is doing well, and we still provide him case management services and support to help him in his journey on to adulthood," Wellroot Family Services President and CEO Allison Ashe said.

More than 11,000 kids are in foster care in Georgia and hundreds lose access every year at age 18, according to the state Division of Family and Children Services. Wellroot supports teenagers as they age into young adults, offering mental health care, vocational and educational support, and life skills training. 

The organization grew its campus in Decatur, just east of Atlanta, with funding from the state legislature's Fostering Success Act, and will have space for 29 young people before the end of the year. A formal ribbon-cutting is expected in January 2026.

After experiencing foster care, Anwar is now thriving through Wellroot’s Independent Living Program. With support and guidance, Anwar has obtained his GED, secured a job, and is pursuing his dream of becoming a welder.

Credit: Wellroot Family Services

"We are able to continue serving them past their 21st birthday if they are pursuing an education, which in his case [Anwar] is," Ashe said. "So, we will be able to fund having them stay on that property."

Wellroot counselors and life coaches teach some of the basic life skills that a young person would learn in their biological home, Ashe said. 

"We teach them how to cook, we teach them how to budget, we teach them how to grocery shop, we teach them how to do laundry," Ashe said.

A kitchen in the process of renovation

Wellroot apartments will have two bedrooms and a kitchen.

Credit: Contributed

They also learn how to get along in a two-bedroom apartment.

"We help them navigate roommate conflicts that often happen when you live with someone," Ashe said. "So really all the wraparound supports that they're going to need to launch into young adulthood."

Wellroot is currently raising money to furnish the newly renovated apartments, including appliances for a training kitchen and furniture for counseling rooms. The goal is to stock the kitchens with plates, glassware and "all the things that we'll need to have for our young people to celebrate the holidays at the apartments," Ashe said. 

Tags: Foster care  Georgia  Decatur  GPB News