Show Versus Tell - Volume 1, Month 8

In a standing-room only interview on homelessness with Mayor Andre Dickens and Rich Mckay from the Atlanta Falcons, a concerned downtown stakeholder asked the question: “what can we do about the unhoused who choose that way of life?” It is a complex question and I’m paraphrasing the Mayor’s response but he said we have to leverage our resources like Partners for Home, our churches, and additional outreach groups to come up with creative solutions to meet the individual needs of each unhoused person. His most piercing point revolved around the “group will” of the city. The ringing truth was delivered to all 300+ attendees.?????

This month the South Downtown Atlanta team’s collective “group will” was exercised with great force. For the past few weeks we’ve had an unhoused neighbor continually hop the fence of a dangerous and dilapidated construction site several times a day (the site is left from previous owners and will be shored up soon). Our small and mighty team attended an all-hands meeting to discuss strategies to monitor the construction site as well as navigate our trespassing and unhoused neighbor. The easy button is to arrest him with the help of our significant security, however all team members agreed to go the extra-mile, exercise our will even further and attempt to understand the needs of our unhoused neighbor first. We called in the experts at ADID who have extensive experience working with unhoused individuals and they met the next day to help put forth potential paths forward. We provided pictures of the individual and they quickly found him in their database and had spent several months in a nearby shelter. After our meeting, our goal was set - we wanted to engage the individual in a non-confrontational way as they were crossing the fence onto our property to try and break through.

Less than 24 hours later, our team along with our off-duty police officer caught the individual jumping the fence and immediately called ADID and their outreach team. Within 10 minutes they were on site talking with our unhouse neighbor. Through their training, they called his mother and father out of state who wanted their son back home. Over the weekend, we received confirmation that he arrived safely back home by bus.?

A huge win, arguably the biggest win possible last month. I’m proud of our team for going beyond the brick and mortar of reactivating our buildings, stretching our group will, and committing to a plan principled in human connection and neighborly behavior.?

Will every unhoused encounter produce a reunification outcome? They will not. Are the root problems solved that led to our neighbor being unhoused in the first place? Not even close.??

However, the “group will” and our intent to serve the downtown community is a derivative of the Atlanta Way and that’s how we plan to continue building South Downtown.?

Safety and Security.?

Our increased focus on our unhoused neighbors continues. Outside of the motivating reunification story above, this past month alone we met with several key individuals working to alleviate homelessness in Atlanta including Raphael Holloway, MA, LPC (team picture here), CEO Gateway Center , Joselyn Baker , President of Grady Health Foundation , and Cathryn Vassell Esq., LCSW , CEO of Partners for HOME .??

We’re working with our friends at Underground and Centennial Yards in this pivotal work. So much more learning to be done, however we’re confident we are learning from the right folks.?

On the safety front, we continue to experiment with more digital eyes on the streets. Several Flock Safety cameras have been installed. Additional Ring cameras, too. These help – but nothing is more impactful than residents, office workers, sports fans, and general foot traffic. We also added significant amounts of lighting to the terrace of Historic Hotel Row.

Architecture and Development:

The designs have been released for the new Atlanta Tech Village - Sylvan along with a video update from the Atlanta Tech Village team. Working in a Nationally Historic designated building with exposed brick and windows to the ceilings, above a highly-crafted row of local restaurants and retail, all walking distance to the Hawks, Falcons, and Atlanta United, (not to mention Cosm) it is no wonder 34 companies have already submitted applications to be part of the Atlanta Tech Village - Sylvan.

Read more about the transformation occurring from Historic Neighborhood to Startup District by Atlanta Tech Village Co-founder, David Cummings.

Additional permits have been submitted but we’ll wait until the next update to share which buildings. The progress for Atlanta Tech Village is too exciting to rush through!??

Community Engagement, Marketing, and Leasing

Over the past month we’ve toured several groups including the YMCA Leadership (pictured here), Fulton County’s Economic Development team (pictured here), Quebec’s Government Office in Atlanta (details here), and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association (picture here) just to name a few.?

We also thanked Natalie Cheney and the entire Arrowroot Capital Management for gifting us a valuable amount of office furniture. Read the typed letter here.??

Our number one focus continues to be Historic Hotel Row. April and Brianna are meeting with bar owners and restaurant entrepreneurs to ensure we deliver the best of the best for Atlantans. Stay tuned for exciting updates on the leasing front.?

Mark your calenders for several events coming up!?

Starting this Sunday, September 8th Lot Party IV kicks off at 11:00 a.m for the Falcons’ home opener. See the details here.?

Also, we have several Community Tours on the calendar. Rumor has it there is a stop at Spiller Park Coffee for the morning tours and cold Wild Leap at the end of the afternoon tours. Spread the good word on the dates here.

Lastly, Atlanta History Center’s Party with the Past is taking over Broad Street between MLK Jr Drive and Mitchell Street? on September 18th! Details here. Please sign up as this will be an evening you don’t want to miss!?

There are 21 months until the World Cup. The urgency continues to build.??

Until next month!?

Jon Birdsong

CEO, SoDo Atlanta, LLC