DeKalb County to purchase 60 apartments for transitional housing for the homeless

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July 24th, 2025

A sign for The Park at 500 Apartment complex in Stone Mountain
The Park at 500 Apartment complex in Stone Mountain where DeKalb County is purchasing 60 apartments for transitional housing for the homeless. (Emily Wu Pearson/WABE)

The DeKalb County Commission is investing in transitional housing to address the growing number of people living in extended stay hotels.

The county is using $8 million of federal funds to purchase 60 apartments at Park at 500 on Hambrick Road in Stone Mountain. DeKalb commissioners unanimously approved the funds earlier this week.

“Park 500 represents DeKalb County’s first ever county owned rapid housing initiative,” said DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochrane-Johnson. “This is not temporary assistance.” 

The apartments will be fully furnished and spread throughout the more than 500 units in the complex: 36 two-bedroom, two-bathroom units; 16 three-bedroom, three-bathroom units; and eight one-bedroom, one-bathroom units will be available. 

“The county has ownership interest for the life of the project, and the housing authority will provide wraparound services for 10 years as part of the $8 million expenditure,” said DeKalb COO Zachary Williams. “When we first began these conversations we didn’t, quite frankly, envision this big.”

DeKalb will provide case managers, job support and childcare as part of the wraparound services for residents. Talks for this kind of project have been in the works for months.

“That allows for the integration of families into communities where there will be no visible difference in who is getting assistance and who is not,” he said. 

Any profits generated from the apartments are slated to go into an affordable housing trust the county will use to reinvest into programs to help people move into permanent housing. 

“Housing first is the best approach to addressing the unhoused, homeless in DeKalb County,” said Commissioner Ted Terry. “It doesn’t just show up in encampments and individuals at highway exits. It’s at extended stay hotels. It’s DeKalb students who double up in bedrooms or live in their cars.” 

A survey of two extended stay hotels in DeKalb county found more than 100 families living in them. The county plans to survey all extended stay hotels soon to understand the full scope of the problem.

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