Housing Plus Support: QuestCDC and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Partner for Lasting Stability
A home is the foundation. What happens inside it is what changes a life.
For many of Atlanta's most vulnerable residents, getting a key to an apartment is only the first step. Staying housed, staying healthy, and building an independent future takes more than four walls. That belief is at the heart of QuestCDC's partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA): long-term affordable housing paired with wraparound, CARF accredited services that promote stability, independence, and well-being.
Housing That Lasts
DCA's role as the state's leading housing agency makes it a natural partner for QuestCDC's mission on Atlanta's Westside. Together, the partnership supports permanent supportive housing for people who have experienced chronic homelessness, giving residents a safe, affordable place to call home with no clock ticking on how long they can stay.
Every resident QuestCDC houses is referred directly through The Gateway Center, Atlanta's coordinated entry point, so the people with the greatest need are the ones who find their way home. Many of these neighbors have lived without stable shelter for an average of seven years before arriving at QuestCDC.
Services That Meet Residents Where They Are
Housing alone does not address the challenges that so often accompany long-term homelessness, including behavioral health needs, addiction, and physical health conditions. That is why every QuestCDC home is paired with the QuestCares Permanent Supportive Housing Team and its CARF accredited supportive services. CARF accreditation is an international mark of quality, and it means QuestCDC's programs are held to rigorous standards of care and accountability.
Through intensive, individualized case management, residents have access to:
On-site case management
Weekly substance abuse support groups
Linkage to medical and mental health care
GED classes and workforce development training
Interactive nutrition classes
HIV/AIDS testing and domestic violence workshops
Childcare services and transportation assistance
Help obtaining SSI/SSDI and SNAP benefits
Beyond its own programs, QuestCDC partners each year with more than 75 nonprofit organizations across Georgia to connect nearly 1,100 clients and residents to health care, recovery support, healthy food, and wellness resources.
The Results Speak for Themselves
The housing-plus-support model works. An impressive 93% of QuestCDC residents do not return to homelessness. Nationally, supportive housing is recognized as one of the most effective solutions to chronic homelessness, leading to fewer emergency room visits and incarcerations, better health and mental wellness outcomes, greater employment and financial stability, and stronger, safer neighborhoods.
A Shared Commitment to Dignity
"Everyone deserves more than shelter," is how we put it at QuestCDC. They deserve stability, dignity, and the chance to rebuild. Partnerships with agencies like the Georgia Department of Community Affairs make that possible, turning public investment in affordable housing into homes where people can heal, grow, and thrive.
We are grateful to DCA for standing alongside us in this work. Together, we are building a pathway from chronic homelessness to permanent stability, one resident and one home at a time.
