DeKalb County investing $8M into housing project for families
DeKalb County announces $8M program to battle homelessness
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson is announcing the launch of a housing project for families currently living in extended-stay motels. The $8 million project aims to rapidly re-house families in need and provide long-term housing stability.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - DeKalb County is taking a major step forward in the fight against homelessness. CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and her team unveiled a new housing initiative aimed at providing long-term solutions for unhoused residents.
What we know:
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved $8 million for the creation of Park 500 — a 60-unit rapid rehousing community. The project is designed to help transition individuals out of extended-stay motels and into stable, affordable housing.
Park 500 is located on Hambrick Road in Stone Mountain.
The initiative is the result of a collaborative effort involving the CEO’s office, county commissioners, the housing authority, and other partners. The investment is expected to create a lasting impact.
What they're saying:
Leaders from across the county expressed their support and highlighted the urgency of the housing crisis.
"What you see here today is historic," said CEO Cochran-Johnson. "It would not just provide housing, but it would also provide dignity because we are transitioning individuals who live in extended stays into housing that's affordable."
"The unhoused crisis doesn't just show up in encampments at interstate exits. It's at extended-stay hotels. It's students that are doubling up in bedrooms and couches or living in their cars," said Ted Terry, Super District 6 Commissioner.
"This is just one way to help bring compassion to helping those in homeless situations. Unhoused situations. These units will provide opportunities to get off the street and out of the extended-stay hotel," added District 4 Commissioner Shakira Johnson.
"This $8 million investment has the power to touch the lives of 1000 people," said Dr. Ladena Bolton, Super District 7 Commissioner, referring to the long-term potential of the project over the next decade.
Cochran-Johnson emphasized that this is more than a temporary shelter effort — it's a sustainable path forward.
"We will provide job assistance, child coordination because no individual should....earn their living," she said.