What happens to Atlanta's homeless outreach now the World Cup is over?
Atlanta rehouses 540 unhoused downtown residents
Atlanta outreach teams permanently rehoused 540 unsheltered residents downtown ahead of the World Cup.
ATLANTA - FNow that signs of the World Cup are slowly fading from Downtown Atlanta, the city's homelessness crisis has again become more visible.
City leaders and partners in Atlanta must now confront a major financial gap in their ongoing push to shelter unsheltered residents.
Downtown Atlanta homelessness outreach
What we know:
City officials and outreach workers focused resources on Downtown Atlanta in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Partners for Home, a nonprofit hired by the city to help address homelessness, said their work is not done.
They said the past 18 months, dedicated teams worked directly on the ground to assist unsheltered residents, which resulted in 540 people moving into permanent housing.
One week after the final match, locations such as the Five Points MARTA station saw a noticeable reduction in visible hardship.
But now, the question is whether any progress made will be sustained now that the eyes of the world are off the city.
Funding Atlanta housing initiatives
What we don't know:
Partners for Home CEO Cathryn Vassell said they are working to figure out a $45 million deficit within their comprehensive $235 million operational framework dubbed 'Atlanta Rising.'
She said they must find a sustainable source of revenue to continue their work.
World Cup rehousing results
By the numbers:
Recent Point-in-Time survey data recorded a 6% increase in local homelessness compared to last year, bringing the estimated total to roughly 3,060 people. Partners for Home established a broader target to house 4,000 individuals over four years.
Unlike the 1996 Olympics, when police arrested roughly 9,000 people, she said city leaders rejected punitive measures.
"Things like bussing, arresting people, sweeping the problem under the rug only prolongs the problem" and costs taxpayers more, she said.
Police made about 9,000 arrests during the '96 games for crimes like loitering and panhandling.
Longterm Atlanta housing strategy
What's next:
Vassell emphasizes that rapid rehousing accompanied by supportive services offers the only lasting resolution.
However, progress remains difficult as deeply affordable housing options continue to vanish across the metropolitan region.
"I think our community really has to decide whether or not we want to fund and resource a homeless response system in a way that can operate at the proper pace and scale," Vassell said.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 5 reporter Rob DiRienzo, who reported live from the station's desk, as well as Partners for Home CEO Cathryn Vassell and official city homelessness counts.