A lot has changed since the Welcome Co-op found its permanent home in Tucker. When the collaborative non-profit opened its warehouse in 2024, its primary focus was housing. The organization partnered with refugee- and immigrant-serving non-profits to set up homes for documented refugees coming to Atlanta, securing 728 apartments in the 2024 fiscal year.
Related story: Welcome Co-op in Tucker helps refugees start anew with housing, clothing, and support
In 2025, the organization was forced to shift its focus after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. On Jan. 20, President Trump signed an executive order suspending the Refugee Admissions Program, indefinitely halting the entry of refugees into the U.S. 45 years after the program was established by President Jimmy Carter.
In the wake of this policy change, the Welcome Co-op shifted to focus less on housing and more on fulfilling refugees’ basic needs like clothing, household items, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, and school supplies. These needs became more critical with the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” on Oct. 31, which included new federal guidelines ending SNAP food stamp benefits for newly arrived refugees, asylum seekers, and other legally present humanitarian migrants.
“[Refugees] are still building that long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency,” Emily Laney, the Executive Director of the Welcome Co-op, told Rough Draft, adding that rising gas and grocery prices have also made access to basic needs more difficult for the people they serve.
Despite these federal roadblocks, Laney said the Welcome Co-op is helping more people than ever before. Having access to the warehouse has increased the number of donations the co-op’s partners can receive and the ease with which they can get essentials to the people they serve.
“There’s been so many ways that this space, this home that we now have, has allowed us to facilitate the work that we do more efficiently and really make a bigger impact,” Laney said.
The organization has also expanded its reach by partnering with more non-profits –Refugee Women’s Network and ICNA Relief GA are the newest among the six partner organizations – and working with homelessness organizations as well as immigrant-serving groups.
To support these partnerships, the Welcome Co-op is hosting a community shop at Refuge Coffee on April 11. Shopping bags will be provided, and attendees can fill a bag of donated clothes for $5. The event lasts from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and proceeds will be split between the Welcome Co-op and Refuge Coffee.
The Welcome Co-op is always looking for donations, and its most urgent need right now is cleaning supplies. More information about donations can be found on the Welcome Co-op website.
