U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock and Congresswoman Nikema Williams have secured $40 million in funding to help revitalize Atlanta’s Bowen Homes neighborhood.
The investment — secured with bipartisan support in Congress — will build more affordable housing units in the community.
The new grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will help the City of Atlanta revitalize the 74-acre Bowen Homes neighborhood, which has been abandoned for nearly 13 years.
The City of Atlanta’s project aims to build more than 2,000 rental and ownership units in the previously abandoned area. Developers are also planning to construct a Community Resources Center and Innovation Hub that will offer Bowen Homes’ residents affordable commercial space and job-training opportunities.
“I thank HUD Secretary Fudge for supporting the City of Atlanta’s vision to expand affordable housing supply and revitalize the Bowen Choice Neighborhood community, and I congratulate Mayor Dickens and his team for securing this grant,” said Sen. Ossoff in a press release.
“Housing means dignity, safety, and security, and that is why I’m proud to join Senator Ossoff in announcing this significant investment in Atlanta’s Bowen Homes community,” Sen. Warnock said in the press release. “As a kid who grew up in public housing, I know that increasing availability and access to affordable accommodations will change lives for hardworking families across Georgia.”
“This $40-million grant will revitalize the Bowen Homes neighborhood. But we can’t stop there. I grew up in rural Alabama in a house with no indoor plumbing or running water. We didn’t have much but we had the security that came from a roof over our heads. My lived experience taught me that access to dignified housing is a right. That’s why every day in Congress I am working to make quality, affordable housing accessible to everyone–no matter your ZIP Code, no matter your bank account,” said Congresswoman Nikema Williams in the press release.
“Bowen Choice Neighborhood will be transformative for Northwest Atlanta, bringing affordable homes and a vibrant neighborhood back to the community,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. “Atlanta Housing and all the members of our Affordable Housing Strike Force came together with community members to lay the groundwork for this funding. Thank you to the Biden Administration, Senator Ossoff, Senator Warnock and Congresswoman Williams for bringing these funds home to rebuild one of our city’s most important and resilient communities.”
The new housing grant will come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods program, which helps revitalize communities by building more mixed income housing developments, making physical neighborhood upgrades, and offering comprehensive social services in the area.