Mayor Andre Dickens cut the ribbon Tuesday on an apartment building offering studios for people in desperate need of shelter during one of the coldest times of the year. But city officials say the new homes will serve their purpose long after winter ends.
Officials called the project on Bonaventure Avenue a “pivotal milestone” in the city’s efforts to offer people permanent housing through the city’s Rapid Housing Initiative. The building, which has 23 units, is just blocks from Ponce City Market in the Old Fourth Ward and the Beltline Eastside Trail.
Standing in front of the off-white brick building and wearing a heavy utility jacket emblazoned with a City of Atlanta seal, Dickens referenced the cold weather on a bright, sunny day, quipping that “this is not Buffalo.” But he implied that for people living on the street and enduring frigid temperatures, the matter is far more serious.
“These units are coming online in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Atlanta right now. We expect to welcome our new residents to this building by Christmas,” Dickens said. “When they arrive, they will have access to all the services, all of the support and neighborhood amenities they would need to thrive.”
People who call 729 Bonaventure Avenue home will have access to wraparound services, including for case management and mental health, the mayor said. The city is making the studios available to those earning less than 30% of the area median income, or an income limit of about $23,000 for one person. They come furnished with twin beds, refrigerators, cooktops and washer-dryers.
Tuesday’s opening builds on this year’s unveiling of The Melody on Forsyth Street. The innovative project with 40 units of permanent housing used repurposed shipping containers left over from the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The containers were transformed into a micro community of tiny studios on the site of a city parking lot.
Bonaventure Avenue is part of Dickens’ goal to create 500 quick-delivery units and 200 permanent supportive housing units by the end of 2025.
Credit: Matt Reynolds
Credit: Matt Reynolds
In September, the City Council committed $50 million through a homeless opportunity bond toward four projects and a project pipeline, the mayor said. At that time, Bonaventure Avenue received a $2.4 million bond commitment.
The City Council earmarked $10 million for the Waterworks Rapid Housing Project in the city’s Westside that will incorporate a modular design and feature 100 units. An additional modular project on Cooper Street in Mechanicsville called for 100 units with a $10 million investment. A development called “Project D” will feature 96 units and receive $9.6 million.
Another $18 million was set aside for a project pipeline to create an additional 380 units.
Speaking before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Partners For Home CEO Cathryn Vassell said the latest development was part of the city’s continuing effort to create permanent housing.
“Unlike so many other cities that are investing in temporary solutions to continue to manage people’s homelessness, our mayor and our city … have committed to this notion that we’re going to invest in permanent solutions, we’re going to invest in housing. Because at the end of the day, that is what ends a person’s homelessness,” Vassell said.
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