Atlanta Affordable Housing Network Partner Spotlight: Partners for HOME
Ending chronic homelessness requires the work of many organizations in an orchestrated community response – one that brings together nonprofits, government agencies, businesses, healthcare providers, and other partners to connect people experiencing homelessness with housing and supportive services that lead to long-term stability.
Partners for HOME is the lead agency for the Atlanta Continuum of Care (CoC) and coordinates the nearly 200 organizations and community stakeholders that make up Atlanta’s homeless response system. 3Keys’ partnership with Partners for HOME is an important part of that larger network.
Through this partnership, 3Keys staff participate in the CoC’s monthly meetings, where community partners share updates, discuss service strategies and consider policy recommendations related to homelessness.
3Keys has a contract with Partners for HOME to provide permanent supportive housing and supportive services to individuals experiencing homelessness. This particular contract originated with the relocation and housing of 19 individuals from the Old Wheat Street encampment. They were provided beds at our Welcome House property and, in addition to ongoing support from our dedicated staff, community partners also pitched in with hygiene kits, food, towels, and more. You can read more about it in our blog: Mayor Andre Dickens Visits The 3Keys’ Welcome House Property in Collaboration on Homelessness.
Partners for HOME also provides training and learning opportunities that help organizations across the Continuum of Care strengthen their work. 3Keys staff have participated in sessions covering a range of topics relevant to providing effective housing and supportive services, including:
- Medicaid training on types, coverages, classifications and key concepts
- Peer learning sessions
- Training on 988 (crisis and suicide prevention hotline)
- Human trafficking
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) training on behavioral health and addictive disease
These opportunities help 3Keys staff continue building their knowledge and skills while staying connected to the broader homelessness response system in Atlanta.
Counting Atlanta’s Unhoused Population
One of Partners for HOME’s largest annual efforts is the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, a nationwide initiative coordinated by communities across the country to better understand the number of people experiencing homelessness on a given night. The information collected helps communities identify needs, inform interventions and policies, and support applications for federal funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
In January 2026, five members of the 3Keys team participated in Atlanta’s Night Count, which covered all 243 neighborhoods across the city. Working in southwest Atlanta, the team helped gather information about people experiencing homelessness while also distributing care packages containing food, warm clothing and hygiene supplies.
The 2026 Point-in-Time Count data highlights the continued need for this work. Atlanta’s homeless population increased by 6% compared with 2025, while the number of people experiencing chronic homelessness increased by 4%.
At the same time, the data provides important insight into the changing nature of homelessness in Atlanta. Forty percent of people counted in 2026 were experiencing homelessness for the first time. The count also found that more households were seeking support services and moving into stable housing. Through the Downtown Rising program, households moved into stability in roughly half the time as households in the rest of the metro Atlanta area.
For us, these numbers reinforce the importance of permanent supportive housing, wraparound services, and the value of coordinated, community-based responses.