By Paul Bolster, with information from Atlanta Civic Circle and Urbanize Atlanta
Two supportive housing projects on Moreland Avenue in Reynoldstown are nearly ready to start construction. The capital, services and rent subsidy needed come from a program coordinated by Partners for Home, the nonprofit organization designated by the City of Atlanta to administer the City’s HUD homeless dollars and work with other agencies to meet the needs of persons who are homeless in the city.
The projects will receive capital grants from the City’s allocation of federal funds from the American Recovery Act, loans from Invest Atlanta, federal rent subsidy from the Atlanta Housing Authority and case management services from Fulton County. The blending of resources from different governmental agencies makes these projects possible, but also difficult. At the present time there are only 20 supportive housing units on the east side of the city.
Stan Sugarman, founder of Stryant Investments, put these two projects together. He told The Porch Press he “wants to know the people walking by my house are headed to a warm safe place where they can connect to the healthcare and the financial benefits available to them.”
Both projects will have offices for case managers who will work directly with the residents to help them meet their goals. “It will be permanent housing,” says Sugarman “but we all hope the residents will find something better after a few years of stable living.” The rent for these units will be set at 30% of the resident’s income. A person must have income no greater than 30% of AMI ($20,250) to qualify for a unit.
The Ralph David House is located on Flat Shoals just north of the Moreland I-20 interchange. This is the old Mark Inn where in the past some rooms have been said to be rented by the hour. The old motel will be completely renovated and have 54 studio apartments. It currently has a building permit from the city and is waiting on the final documentation of the HUD agreements administered by the city’s Office of Grants Management. Sugarman expects the environmental work to begin in 60 days.
His other project will be on a 0.38-acre lot at 111 Moreland Avenue near the Edgewood Shopping Center and the Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station. This project is new construction and will have 42 “micro apartments” slightly under 300 square feet, with shared full kitchens, laundry room, and communal lounge. The Atlanta Housing Authority has approved a 15-year HUD rent subsidy contract, although it does not currently have a building permit in hand. In March the Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League voted to oppose this project but with the support of the Mayor’s Office and the Atlanta Housing Authority, Sugarman expects the project to move forward and be move-in ready by 2025.
