Georgia Works reached a major milestone on April 1 when Governor Brian Kemp and Mayor Andre Dickens attended the ribbon-cutting celebration of the nonprofit's new home in the Odd Fellows building on Auburn Avenue.
Georgia Works is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness and criminal recidivism by offering housing and employment to chronically homeless men as long as they commit to being drug- and alcohol-free. The nonprofit, founded in 2013 by Bill McGahan, has served more than 1,200 unhoused men by providing housing, workforce training, employment, and other services.
"It's been such a joyous journey. It's humbling," McGahan said at the ceremony. "The problem we are trying to solve is to get unsheltered men off the streets and into productive lives."
Speaker after speaker spoke of the symbolism of restoring a 110-year-old building on Auburn Avenue, the historic heart of Black business in Atlanta. The move brings Georgia Works closer to the communities it serves while honoring the legacy of Sweet Auburn.