Toys, treats, trims – Hundreds of low-income Atlanta families get a holiday hand-up

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Atlanta non-profit Hosea Helps served roughly 600 underserved families in Atlanta on Christmas at the Georgia World Congress Center.

“The difference between waking up on Christmas tree and no tree and nothing or come to Hosea Helps and come with several bags of toys,” said CEO Elisabeth Omilami.

Omilami said the annual Christmas Holiday Festival of Service returned to the Georgia World Congress Center for the first time in three years.

She said Hosea Helps, established in 1971, served 51,000 people slipping into poverty in 2023.

“I’m just really grateful, thankful, because I wasn’t able to do much for them this year,” said Fatima Taylor, who attended the event on Monday.

“So just, you know, to receive this blessing means a lot to me. And I know they’re happy,” said Taylor, who is a single mother to two boys.

Families received a warm meal, the option of a free haircut, and a sack full of toys.

“Our population in Atlanta is suffering. There is two Atlantas. There’s the rich and famous, and then there’s the people we see that helped build this city that are being left behind,” said Omilami.

According to city officials, homelessness increased by 30 percent in 2023, compared to 2022.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has a goal of securing 20,000 units of affordable housing by 2030.

As of Friday, Dickens said 3,000 units are already on line with 5,000 more under construction or in the financing process.

In January, the City is set to open The Melody, a housing complex in downtown Atlanta made from converted shipping containers.

The Melody will hold 40 formerly homeless individuals.

In early 2024, the City is set to name a developer to convert the office building at 2 Peachtree into affordable housing.

“I’m not able to pay my rent sometimes because rent just keeps going higher and higher and higher. Or I have to work two, three jobs to make ends meet,” said Taylor, on Monday.

While many in the city still face monthly challenges to make end’s meet, there are reports that rents are finally steadying in Atlanta.

According to a late September report by Apartmentlist.com, on average, rent in Atlanta dropped by roughly 6%, compared to fall 2022.

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