Inclusive community revitalization part of non-profit’s Home on the Westside initiative to make racial equity a reality.

ATLANTA (April 21, 2021) – Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Westside Future Fund (WFF) today celebrated the $5.5 million extensive renovation of 395 James P. Brawley Drive in the English
Avenue Neighborhood. The dramatic transformation, made possible through the non- profit’s Home on the Westside initiative, helps uplift the neighborhood’s historic character and foster a renewed sense of community while providing more modern living with 31 renovated units, new usable outdoor space, on-site laundry facilities and free high-speed AT&T Wi-Fi access.

“Atlanta’s Historic Westside residents have long been denied place-based equity and equality,” said  Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has made a $1 billion commitment to improve economic mobility through affordable housing programs across the City. “Together, through the One Atlanta Housing Affordability Action Plan and Home on the Westside initiative, we will help our neighbors on the Westside live in the place they love through access to safe, quality and affordable housing and in turn cultivate a thriving community that all, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would be proud to call home.”

Through further collaboration with the City, 20 units will be offered for subsidized rent through Atlanta Housing’s Home Flex rental assistance program.

“Atlanta Housing is proud to partner with Westside Future Fund and provide rental assistance to 20 new families at 395 James P. Brawley through our HomeFlex program. When paired with initiatives like Home on the Westside, HomeFlex leverages the existing value in communities and has the power to inject new life and vitality, while ensuring that legacy residents benefit for years to come,” said AH CEO Eugene Jones.

Acquired by Westside Future Fund in early 2018, 395 James P. Brawley Drive was an ambitious first step toward its signature initiative, Home on the Westside, designed to deliver economic mobility at a neighborhood level via safe, quality affordable housing that is attainable to all residents, whether they rent, buy or retain an existing residence. WFF furthered its commitment to economic mobility with 44% of the total construction at the property being performed by DBE- qualified contractors.

Three years later, with the support of many public and private partners, like the City of Atlanta, WFF has helped 128 homeowners obtain approval for Westside Future Fund’s Anti- Displacement Tax Fund; created or financed 310 units of quality, affordable rental housing, purchased more than 100 vacant developable single-family lots and so far awarded six families with down payment assistance on permanent homes. Westside Future Fund provides up to $60,000 in down payment assistance in addition to what may be provided from the City of Atlanta.

As with all WFF’s properties, the organization will prioritize renting these 31 units to individuals and families with ties to the historic neighborhoods of English Avenue, Vine City, the Atlanta-University Center and Ashview Heights. This includes people who live and work in the community, or have children enrolled in the Booker T. Washington School Cluster, graduates of Atlanta University Center (AUC) institutions or Booker T. Washington High School.

“Beyond having a new home, these residents will have access to community partners like On the Rise Financial Center, Westside Works, At-Promise Youth and Community Center, Good Samaritan Health Center and community assets like Hollis Innovation Academy, Kathryn M. Johnston Memorial Park, Rodney Cook Dr. Park and the Westside BeltLine Connector Trail,” said John Ahmann, president and chief executive officer of the Westside Future Fund. “Through these public-private partnerships we work collaboratively to provide equitable and inclusiveity revitalization by increasing economic mobility and improving neighborhood safety and wellness.”