Forest Park council approves 'Elevate' workforce program for unhoused and underemployed residents
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Summary
The Forest Park governing body approved the Elevate initiative, a partnership-led workforce and wraparound-services program that will start with a 20–25 person pilot to help unhoused, underemployed and displaced residents gain job and life skills.
Forest Park's mayor and council on March 3 approved Elevate, a workforce-development initiative the city said is designed to move unhoused, displaced and underemployed residents "from shelter to stability." The council voted unanimously to authorize the program.
City staff described Elevate as a cohort-based pilot that will initially accept 20 to 25 participants and pair them with job training, mental-health support, transportation assistance and wraparound services. The Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency agreed to run parts of the program at a Forest Parkway site, and the city said it has partnered with Atlanta Technical College and Clayton State University for training and campus exposure.
Why it matters: Council members said the program targets a population they view as underserved by general workforce programs — people currently without stable housing, residents returning from incarceration, and others who face multiple employment barriers. The city and partners said the program aims to provide both vocational skills and immediate supports such as transit assistance and housing navigation to improve job retention.
The presentation credited Calvary Refuge Center — the local shelter operator — and its leadership for prompting the initiative. Dana Inman, chief executive officer of the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, told the council, "We are a workforce development agency that focuses on financially vulnerable individuals. We work with individuals who are unemployed, underemployed, unhoused, returning from incarceration, people living in subsidized housing. And our job is to help them find a job." Calvary Refuge representatives described deferred maintenance needs at their facility and said they expect the partnership to help increase placements into stable housing and employment.
Council members pressed for operational details during the discussion. City staff and partners said the program will be individualized — some participants may complete the cohort quickly, while others will require ongoing assistance. The city said the program will initially run as a small cohort to identify resource gaps and to test coordination among partners. Officials also mentioned transportation supports: MARTA passes, rideshare supplements and housing assistance were cited as parts of the plan to reduce employment barriers.
Council members and the city asked Calvary Refuge to provide a written list of facility needs so volunteers and the public can help with deferred-maintenance items. Calvary Refuge said it has about 60 rooms but currently uses roughly 50, and that outside fundraising and volunteer labor will be needed for some repairs.
The council moved to approve the initiative; the motion was made by Councilwoman James and seconded by Councilman Mears. The roll-call vote was recorded as yes from Councilmembers James, Gutierrez, Akins Wells, Mears and Mayor Butler, 5–0.
The council did not adopt a detailed budget for Elevate at the March 3 meeting; speakers said the program will start as a pilot and that staff will later present funding specifics and next steps.