These Georgians are leading the charge against homelessness, housing inequity, and hunger.
It’s Black History Month, and we’re recognizing how Black leaders are building a more equitable future in Metro Atlanta and across Georgia.
It takes an all-hands-on, multi-faceted approach to tackle widespread and complex issues like homelessness, housing insecurity and hunger — problems that disproportionately impact the African American community and worsen inequality. Fortunately, Georgia has no shortage of dynamic leaders committed to addressing these issues.
In our line of work, we often lean on other experts and organizations in the homeless services ecosystem to ensure our clients can access the resources they need. During Black History Month, we’re highlighting the African American leaders in our communities, our partners, working to fight housing inequality and hunger with passion and collaboration.
Here are some of their stories.
Carol Collard, President & CEO of Caring Works
Working to End the Cycle of Homelessness
People with significant challenges like disabilities and substance abuse disorders are more likely to become chronically homeless. They need extra support to secure housing and continue addressing their unique issues so they can remain housed. Led by President and CEO Carol Collard, CaringWorks focuses on helping those with obstacles like disabilities, criminal records, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and PTSD.
At CaringWorks, which she co-founded, Carol oversees a 90+ member team that operates supportive housing and behavioral health programs across metro Atlanta. But she didn’t start out working in the nonprofit space. She developed a passion for reducing homelessness while working in marketing for a homebuilder, and took a job at a nonprofit developer focused on affordable housing.
“I will always remember a particular day when I took a new tenant on a tour of her new apartment,” Carol told the Atlanta Business Chronicle last year. “She walked in and started crying with joy and relief. I was profoundly moved by her reaction, and I was so proud to have had a small role in ending homelessness for her family. It changed my life.”
She would go on to earn multiple degrees in social work and ultimately launch CaringWorks. Today, Carol’s an influential force in the fight to end homelessness, recently earning a coveted spot on Atlanta Magazine’s “Atlanta 500 2022” list. As an associate professor of social work at Kennesaw State University, she’s even helping to foster a new generation of social justice advocates.
“Social work is grounded in the value of social justice,” she says. “Now, our collective recognition of the ongoing systemic inequities in our society has drawn more of those individuals who wish to help make a more just society, both through policy and practice.”
Jasmine Crowe, CEO of Goodr
Combating Hunger With Innovation
Here in the U.S., where food waste is around 30–40 percent of the food supply, hunger isn’t an issue of scarcity. It’s a matter of logistics. Recognizing the social inequity of allowing some in our communities to go hungry when so much food is thrown away, entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe set out to do something about it.
Jasmine had long been passionate about feeding our neighbors in need, volunteering at food drives and even feeding Atlantans from her kitchen. But in 2018, she saw an opportunity to leverage technology that was becoming common in rideshare and food delivery apps to pick up extra food from restaurants and grocery stores and deliver it to local organizations.
“When we think of how we’ve allowed innovation and technology to change our lives, from how we communicate with each other to how we view our entertainment, to how we even receive food, it’s amazing that we haven’t solved hunger yet,” Jasmine explained in her 2019 TEDWomen Talk. “We literally have cars that can drive themselves, and millions of people that cannot feed themselves.”
Goodr was born, and has quickly grown into a full-scale waste management and hunger relief company that has provided food to millions of people. And the organization continues to find new ways to combat hunger. Goodr even launched a free grocery store in College Park for seniors in January.
Jimiyu Evans, Co-CEO of Project Community Connections, Inc.
Helping Homeless and Housing-Insecure Neighbors Overcome Barriers
In the fight against homelessness, lasting community impact starts with 1–1 connections. People fall into homelessness for various reasons, and their problems can quickly escalate once they lose stable housing. Like HOPE Atlanta, Project Community Connections, Inc. (PCCI) works with people individually to find affordable housing solutions while addressing the underlying causes of homelessness.
“When working with people experiencing homelessness, it’s critical to open a window of opportunity and reach into it quickly to successfully inspire change,” says Jimiyu Evans, the organization’s Co-CEO. “If we can open that window even a crack, we can set in motion an endless opportunity to thrive.”
With extensive social services experience, Jimiyu not only guides operations and strategy for PCCI. He is a thought leader in the homeless services industry. Jimiyu has presented to a wide range of local and national organizations, like the Georgia Department of Education and the National Alliance to End homelessness, to promote collaboration and best practices. He has also participated in panel discussions to raise awareness about housing disparity and structural racism in Atlanta.
PCCI is currently partnering with Mercy Housing Southeast on a new initiative bringing more affordable housing to Downtown Atlanta: Thrive Sweet Auburn. This mixed-use development in Old Fourth Ward will offer permanent supportive housing and affordable units for households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income.
India Hayes, Co-Founder and CEO of Mini City
Breaking the Identification Barrier
One of our biggest challenges in securing resources for people experiencing homelessness is the lack of legal identification. People must present valid identification to access shelters and federal programs, sign a lease, apply for a job, or open a bank account. But on the streets, where theft is rampant, a lost or stolen ID can easily keep someone trapped in homelessness.
Black-owned Atlanta tech company Mini City is making it easier for people experiencing homelessness to break the cycle, with technology that allows our clients to apply for identification at partner housing programs.
“Securing an ID can be a daunting task for a segment of our society that is often overlooked — a lack of identification starts to become a much larger issue, rendering individuals unseen in society,” Mini City’s co-founder and CEO India Hayes told The Bitter Southerner.
Under India’s leadership, Mini City partners with organizations like HOPE Atlanta to expedite the intake process by providing wristbands that securely provide vital identification information. Its software obtains legal forms of identification in 12–14 days; previously, that process could take 70–90 days. In 2021, Mini City was a recipient of the Google Black Founders Fund.
Raphael Holloway, CEO of Gateway Center
Providing a Gateway to Self-Sufficiency
When our teams at HOPE Atlanta engage a person experiencing homelessness, the first phone call is often to a partner like Gateway Center: a shelter with a built-in support system designed to address the underlying barriers that prevent people from transitioning out of homelessness.
In FY21, Gateway Center assisted more than 7,400 clients and housed more than 900 — including the individuals in designated MARTA HOPE beds. Leading the organization is CEO Raphael Holloway, an accomplished social services leader and social justice advocate with more than 25 years of experience.
Like many of the leaders on this list, Raphael has been instrumental in leading his organization through COVID-19 and “flattening the homelessness curve,” as homeless services organizations began to play a much larger public health role. As conversations around racial injustice also heightened, Raphael used his platform to raise awareness about the interconnectedness of housing inequality and racial inequity.
“If you acknowledge that Black Lives Matter, please also acknowledge the connection between housing and livelihood — where one’s ZIP code plays a larger role in life expectancy than genetics,” he co-wrote in a 2020 SaportaReport op-ed.
Raphael’s influence extends beyond the Gateway Center. He also serves on the advisory council for Agape Youth and Family Center and the Georgia Supportive Housing Association board. He was also a member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2020.
Tyese Lawyer, President & CEO of Our House
Providing a Refuge for Families with Children
For our teams at HOPE Atlanta, there is nothing more heartbreaking than encountering families with children struggling with homelessness. Because families have very different needs, shelters like Our House are an essential part of the ecosystem working to address homelessness.
Our House aims to equip families with the resources they need to reclaim their self-sufficiency and end the cycle of homelessness and poverty. These not only include shelter space exclusively for families, but tools that both kids and adults need to thrive after gaining permanent housing. Children can participate in an early education program, while their parents can participate in workshops and job training to achieve financial independence.
Tyese Lawyer has led Our House as CEO since 2004 and has more than 20 years of experience managing nonprofit programs for homeless and low-income families. In her first 14 years as CEO, the organization doubled.
“Being part of this experience has really helped to stretch and grow my leadership abilities,” she told Hope magazine. “It’s helped me to think more globally about the work that we do with the children and families that we serve. It’s also been very rewarding to be able to be a part of the lives of families as they move towards self-sufficiency.”
Tyese also lends her expertise to the community as Chair of DeKalb County Continuum of Care. This program aims to “promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families” and “optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.”
Dr. Alie Redd, Executive Director of Covenant House Georgia
Protecting Atlanta’s Vulnerable Youth
A shocking number of youth experience homelessness in Atlanta on a given day — an estimated 3,300. About 42% of them have suffered abuse as a child, a disproportionate number identify as LBGTQ+, and nearly half of those living on the streets will be sexually exploited.
With Executive Director Dr. Alie Redd at its helm, Covenant House Georgia aims to protect vulnerable youth from these hardships by providing a place of refuge, hope, and healing. Besides providing shelter and other basic needs, the organization also connects young people (including those who aren’t residents) with counseling, health services, education, and other resources to help them realize their fullest potential.
A longtime advocate for young people who have experienced trauma or homelessness, Dr. Redd has a particular passion for those who have aged out of foster care (50% of whom will fall into homelessness in the first six months).
“Covenant House has been involved with young people who have experience with trauma and homelessness,” she told SaportaReport when she joined. “I really have an interest and passion in what Covenant House does.”
Today, Dr. Redd not only leads Covenant House with a servant leader mindset and 20+ years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker. She has lent her expertise to collaborative initiatives like the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board to promote “a more equitable and inclusive city for all.”
Scott Walker, CEO of 3Keys, Inc.
Providing Supportive Housing for People with Mental Illnesses
Mental health disorders are prevalent among those experiencing homelessness; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated that around 45% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. had a mental illness. Not only can mental health conditions lead to homelessness, but homelessness can worsen these conditions. People experiencing both often end up trapped in a cycle of homelessness as their challenges continue to mount.
Organizations like 3Keys, which provide affordable, supportive housing solutions for people with mental illnesses, play a crucial role in combating homelessness overall. Located throughout Metro Atlanta, 3Keys properties offer a “safety net” of onsite services for residents — like case management, medication management, and connection to community resources.
3Keys is led by Scott Walker, a longtime Atlanta community and supportive housing leader. While he recently joined the organization as CEO, his 25+ years of experience in public policy and planning, affordable housing development, and social work (working directly with people with mental health disorders) have prepared him to face Atlanta’s challenges strategically and compassionately.
“My goal is to work collectively to impact the lives of the individuals 3Keys serves to ensure their experience is positive and everyone has a chance to ‘win’,” Scott told Metro Atlanta CEO magazine.
Do you know a change-maker who belongs on our list of Black Georgians fighting homelessness, housing insecurity, and hunger? Leave us a comment below, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter!
