Tenants will begin moving into Atlanta’s first rapid housing community this week, marking a milestone in the city’s efforts to combat homelessness.
Named “The Melody,” the project at 184 Forsyth St. in South Downtown stands on what was a city-owned parking lot near the Garnett MARTA station. It includes 40 micro-units made from converted shipping containers, with 32 units being ADA compliant. Each unit includes a bed, bathroom and kitchenette.
Completed in a record-breaking four months, the $5 million project is the first of many the city is planning as part of its rapid housing initiative to build 500 low-cost micro-units on city-owned land by the end of 2025, said Mayor Andre Dickens at a Jan. 26 ribbon-cutting event.
“The Melody is opening its doors and blazing trails as a new model for quick delivery housing on public land,” he said.
The first 22 residents will begin moving in Feb. 1.
The mayor announced another rapid housing site has been identified on city-owned property adjacent to the city’s water reservoir on Northside Drive. Engagement with local residents, businesses and community stakeholders will begin in the next few weeks, he said.
“We’re not slowing down,” the mayor said. “It is important to remember that we are not adding new residents to your neighborhood. They’re actually already there.”
Many unhoused people are living in tents, their cars, extended-stay hotels, with friends or family, and under bridges and underpasses, Dickens said.
“It is our shared moral imperative to provide these individuals and their families with stable housing and wraparound services that they need to get back on their feet and thrive alongside their neighbors,” he said.
Cathryn Vassell, CEO Partners for HOME, which is partnering with the city in the rapid housing initiative, said licensed staff will be onsite to provide tenants of The Melody with supportive services.
Opening The Melody in Downtown is “innovative and exciting” because research and data shows it is “abundantly clear” that permanent housing with services is the solution to ending homelessness, she added.
She also shared that The Melody is named for Melody Bloodworth, a woman who died two years ago on the streets of Atlanta after years of experiencing homelessness.
The opening of The Melody follows the mayor’s signing last week of an executive order to allocate $4.6 million to provide more services for those experiencing homelessness.
Also last week, the City Council last week approved donating $2.4 million to the city’s Partners for Home to help people and families living underneath bridges and other public areas to find permanent housing. The council approved donating another $700,000 to the Gateway Center to help connect homeless individuals with needed services.
Last year, Invest Atlanta the city’s economic development arm, approved up to $7.5 million for the city’s rapid housing initiative.
Collin Kelley contributed to this article.
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.
