Fulton commissioners push to restore $1M for veterans services

Fulton Commission searches for funding for veterans

Funding for veterans in Fulton County is back under scrutiny. Three county commissioners are urging their colleagues to find one million dollars to support programs for those who served.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County commissioners are renewing a push to restore $1 million in funding for veterans programs after the money disappeared from this year’s budget. The proposal heads to the Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, where supporters acknowledge it has failed in past votes.

The backstory:

For the past three years, veterans in Fulton County received $1 million in support for housing, mental health care and employment services. That funding came from federal American Rescue Plan Act grants, which ended after three years. Commissioners Marvin Arrington Jr., Mo Ivory and Dana Barrett say the county should now use its surplus to fill the gap.

What they're saying:

Arrington has authored legislation directing the county manager to put up to $1 million for veterans back into the 2026 budget. He said the county’s financial position makes the request realistic.

"We are asking now, as part of the budget process, that we prioritize our veterans, their healthcare, their mental care and just the wrap-around services that we need to provide for them," Arrington said.

Ivory, who spoke with FOX 5 during a Veterans Day program at Sadie G. Mays Health and Rehabilitation Center, said the county’s $69 million surplus should make the decision clear.

"As soon as I heard that number, my first thought was very simple. We finally have the opportunity to restore the 1 million that has been stripped from the veterans' community services grant," Ivory said.

At a Tuesday news conference, several veterans stood with the commissioners. Rev. Ellison McGhee of the Vietnam Veterans of America praised the effort.

"You got to understand one thing, if it wasn’t for the veterans’ service in this country, we would not be the free nation that we are today," McGhee said.

Commissioners backing the plan say past boards have voted down similar requests and that they want to avoid leaving veterans without services that had been available during the ARPA years.

Commissioner Khadijah Abdur Rahman released a statement countering critics and stressing that the loss of funding was not a county-imposed cut.

"For several years, Fulton County was grateful to use these one-time grants to support vital programs, including those at the Veterans Empowerment Organization (VEO). However, this was federal money used temporarily, not ongoing county tax dollars. Its expiration is not a ‘cut’ by this Board of Commissioners, but the conclusion of a one-time program that was known from the beginning," she said.

Abdur Rahman added that some people "are spreading misinformation to generate attention" and said she is working to find "new, sustainable funding sources to help fill the gap left by the federal government’s expiring ARPA program."

Dig deeper:

Supporters say there are roughly 50,000 veterans living in Fulton County and the goal is to ensure their services do not erode once federal money disappears.