The benefits of having a safe place to live are numerous. A 2021 study, for example, found that having a stable home improved mental and physical health for people who had experienced homelessness.
Building off of a history of innovation in meeting local housing needs, Athens Area Habitat for Humanity is developing Micah’s Creek to provide homes for residents in the Inner East Athens neighborhood and prove the link between stable housing and improved educational, financial, and social outcomes for the families who live there.
Athens Area Habitat Vice President Charles Smith took WUGA’s Daniel McDonald on a tour of Micah’s Creek and discussed the broader goals of the project.
Residents will participate in a University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences study evaluating the impacts of stable housing on the educational, economic, health and social outcomes of children who grow up in Micah’s Creek and attend Gaines Elementary School. WUGA’s Daniel McDonald is set to explore the goals of this study in future installments.
Athens Area Habitat for Humanity is a supporter and underwriter of WUGA Athens.
A correction was made on March 17, 2025: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the community where the Micah’s Creek development is located as East Inner Athens. The correct name of the community is Inner East Athens.
Also, the article omitted the disclosure that Athens Area Habitat for Humanity is an underwriter of WUGA Athens.
