Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: Community Development
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): All Commission District
An allocation of up to One Million Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,300,000) from the DeKalb County Affordable Housing Fund to implement the Road to Home / Safe Space DeKalb Initiative addressing vehicular homelessness among individuals and families.
Body
Information Contact: Alan Ferguson, Sr. Ph.D, CHO, and Paige Mitchell, Project Manager Office of Housing
Phone Number: 404-371-2746 and 470-368-6382
PURPOSE:
The requested allocation will fund the Road to Home / Safe Space DeKalb Initiative, a housing-focused program that gives individuals and families living in their vehicles a safe, managed place to park temporarily while they are connected to outreach, Coordinated Entry, case management, behavioral and mental health services, and a pathway to permanent housing. The funding will cover site mobilization, County-provided capital assets and infrastructure, and Year 1 program operations.
NEED/IMPACT:
Across DeKalb County, many individuals and families are living in their vehicles, a hidden and dangerous form of homelessness that is largely unseen by traditional service systems and uncounted in official data. Parents who are working and caring for their children are sleeping in backseats instead of bedrooms, exposing their families to unsafe conditions, educational instability, and long-term economic and emotional hardship. Under this Initiative, the parking space is the point of engagement, not the destination; participating households are expected to progress from temporary stabilization to permanent housing, and the Initiative is not a permanent or indefinite parking program.
Decide DeKalb will issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to select a qualified nonprofit organization, service provider, or team of providers to serve as Lead Service Provider, responsible for outreach, engagement, and Coordinated Entry; managed safe-parking site operations; case management and housing stabilization; housing navigation and placement; mental and behavioral health services; extreme-weather response; and post-placement retention monitoring. Enrolled households will be placed on one of two pathways: the Expressway, a direct move to permanent housing with financial and case management support, or the Access Road, temporary housing and wraparound services to achieve housing readiness within approximately 90 days.
The Initiative will be phased. One location will be established and operated in Year 1, and a second location will be established in Year 2 based on Year 1 utilization, performance, geographic need, operational experience, County direction, and available funding. Each location is expected to serve approximately 25-30 vehicles/households at a time. DeKalb County will fund the initial capital infrastructure, including mobile shower and laundry trailers, restroom facilities, modular space for outreach, Coordinated Entry, and private counseling and case management, initial furnishings and equipment, utility connections, and security infrastructure; these assets will remain County property unless otherwise established by contract. The Lead Service Provider will submit monthly program and financial reports, incident reports, quarterly performance reviews, housing placement and site maintenance reports, and an annual program evaluation, including permanent housing placement rates and housing retention at 3, 6, and 12 months.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Up to $1,300,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund established by the Board of Commissioners in November 2025, with funding committed in conjunction with the millage rate increase approved in July 2026. The Chief Housing Officer is also authorized, in their discretion, to use resources allocated to the Transitional Housing and Extended Stay Hotel program under the Housing Investment Program to offset and supplement capital costs as needed for timely implementation. Finance to confirm the fund account number and available balance.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
Approve an allocation of up to $1,300,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund to support implementation of the Road to Home / Safe Space DeKalb Initiative; authorize the Chief Housing Officer, in their discretion, to use resources allocated to the Transitional Housing and Extended Stay Hotel program to offset and supplement capital costs; authorize Decide DeKalb Development Authority, as Sub-Program Administrator, to issue and conduct a competitive RFQ process to select a Lead Service Provider in coordination with the Chief Housing Officer; adopt the program model, phased two-location implementation, County-provided capital asset structure, and reporting requirements described above; and authorize the Chief Housing Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and other appropriate County officials to take all actions reasonably necessary to implement the Initiative, including executing agreements, and administering the funding and program.