Curated by Erik Wilder · updated July 4, 2026
When an eviction hits, everything happens at once. These are the places to call first — a bed for tonight, a lawyer before court, help with back rent, and food while you sort it out.
Gateway Center is a homeless service center in downtown Atlanta. It helps people and families who are homeless find housing, shelter, showers, clothing, health care connections, job help, recovery support, and other services.
Curator’s note: Downtown's front door to homeless services — walk in at 275 Pryor Street and ask for an assessment; they connect people to shelter the same day.
Atlanta Mission helps people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta. My Sister's House serves women and children with overnight shelter, meals, counseling, childcare, medical care, referrals, life skills classes, and job training.
Curator’s note: Emergency shelter tonight: The Shepherd's Inn for men, My Sister's House for women and children. Call before you head over.
Nicholas House helps families in Atlanta who are homeless or at risk of losing housing. They offer emergency shelter for families, rapid rehousing, rent and utility help, permanent supportive housing, case management, and classes for work, money, parenting, and life skills.
Curator’s note: One of the few Atlanta shelters that takes whole families and keeps them together — including dads and teenage sons.
Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation gives free legal help to qualified Atlanta-area families and tenants. They help with domestic violence protective orders, eviction defense, unsafe housing, family law after abuse, and some emergency support referrals.
Curator’s note: Free lawyers for tenants facing eviction in Fulton and DeKalb — reach them before your court date, not after.
Georgia Legal Services Program is a nonprofit law firm that gives free civil legal help to people with low incomes and seniors in most Georgia counties outside metro Atlanta. They help with problems like eviction, public benefits, family violence protection, health coverage, school issues, farmworker rights, and consumer debt.
Curator’s note: Free civil legal help if you live outside Fulton and DeKalb counties — one statewide number covers the rest of Georgia.
Midtown Assistance Center, or MAC, helps low-income working households in Midtown and Downtown Atlanta during a short-term money crisis. They help with groceries, rent, utilities, work clothing, MARTA cards, ID help, and referrals so people can stay housed, fed, and working.
Curator’s note: Emergency rent and utility help for working households in Midtown and Downtown — a one-time payment can stop an eviction from being filed.
Hosea Helps (formerly Hosea Feed the Hungry) is a long-running Atlanta nonprofit that fights hunger and homelessness. They hand out emergency food and water, help people apply for food stamps, and screen families to see if they qualify for rent and utility help. They also run big holiday meal events and programs for children, women, and people facing homelessness.
Curator’s note: Rent and utility assistance plus food, clothing, and household goods — a good call when you need several kinds of help at once.
Atlanta Community Food Bank helps people get food across metro Atlanta and north Georgia. It runs Community Food Centers, including a Marietta pantry at 1605 Austell Road, and also helps people find partner pantries and apply for SNAP, Medicaid, and WIC.
Curator’s note: Use their pantry locator to find free groceries near you, so the money you have left can go toward housing.
