Partners for HOME houses more than 400 people through Downtown Rising initiative

Partners for HOME has reached a major housing milestone through a citywide effort called Atlanta Rising.

A key piece of Atlanta Rising is Downtown Rising. The initiative aimed to house 400 people living on the streets of Downtown Atlanta.

The organization has not only met that number, but they've surpassed it. As of April 9, the organization had housed 445 people who were homeless downtown.

"When I actually got the key to my own place, it was uplifting," said Waterworks Village resident Jordan Barron.

Two months ago, Barron was living at an encampment on Ellis Street. Now, he's got the keys to his own place at Waterworks Village.

"I got a lot of opportunities coming my way," Barron said. "Like I said, I got somewhere to keep myself looking decent, so I can go on job interviews, look for a job, and somewhere to just have peace of mind without being around other people."

Barron said his perception of homelessness changed after living on the streets for two years.

"By me being homeless, it was like, I guess God did it for a reason," Barron said. "Like I said, I was judgmental. A lot of people that's homeless, they don't have a drug problem, they're not selling their body, it's more or less like mental health or just something they want to do on their own."

Barron is one of hundreds who have found stable, safe housing since May 2025 through Downtown Rising.

"It was an incredible effort led by so many people," said Annie Hyrila, the chief programs coordinator for Partners for HOME. "You know, no one can do anything on their own, and just like our work, where each part of it compounds each other. Our partners are like that, too. Each provider works so closely with the next, and it's no small feat to house that many people in such a short amount of time."

Hyrila said they hope to take what they've learned from Downtown Rising and expand on the initiative.

"Our hope is to continue to do this for years and years," Hyrila said. "This is one piece that we're working on to reduce unsheltered homelessness, but our goal is truly to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring throughout the entire city of Atlanta."

Partners for HOME officials said the organization has been able to house 15,000 households in the City of Atlanta since 2016, with 96 percent staying housed.