Change begins when people come together with a shared purpose. That is the vision at the heart of The Same House and the work we do to bring Atlanta closer to what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described as the Beloved Community. This vision calls us to bridge the social and economic divides that continue to shape not only Atlanta but cities around the country.
At The Same House, we do this by accelerating collaboration. We bring together corporate, nonprofit, and government leaders, along with community members, to tackle tough challenges like workforce development, education access, housing solutions, and more. Our “Three Cs” framework, which is connection, contribution, and creation, guides everything we do. In the last year alone, our efforts have supported 24 organizations reaching more than 100,000 people across Georgia and beyond.
At the center of this work is the Beloved Benefit, an annual event designed to uplift and invest in community-based solutions. Inspired by a desire to create a gathering that mobilizes collective action against inequity, the first Beloved Benefit took place in 2019 through the generosity of community leaders like Dan Cathy, Arthur M. Blank, and Shan Cooper, who shared this vision. That evening, the late Congressman John Lewis offered words that continue to guide us:
“We’re one people. We’re one family. We all live in the same house.”
That message has become the foundation of The Same House, and the Beloved Benefit remains its heartbeat. Since its inception, the event has raised over 24 million dollars for community-led organizations. With support from collaborators like Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, Delta Air Lines, Georgia Power, Truist, and Accenture, the Beloved Benefit has become a model for what collaboration can look like when it is rooted in a shared purpose.
Nowhere is that work more urgent than on Atlanta’s Westside.
I grew up attending church on the Westside, watching games at the Georgia Dome, and visiting the Atlanta University Center. But it wasn’t until my time with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Chick-fil-A that I truly understood the scale of the challenges some of our neighbors face. The data was sobering. A child born into poverty on the Westside has less than a 5% chance of escaping it. That reality reshaped my sense of responsibility and deepened my commitment to act.
The Westside is a community rich in history and cultural significance. However, it is also a community facing rising housing costs, displacement, and underinvestment. Despite these pressures, institutions and individuals continue to build hope and resilience. Organizations like Atlanta Technical College, City of Refuge, Morehouse School of Medicine, and the Westside Future Fund are working to provide affordable housing, workforce training, and access to quality healthcare.
On August 14th, eight Westside-focused organizations will receive support through the Beloved Benefit, including funding to expand their work and amplify their impact. These grants are part of a broader strategy to move beyond one-off programs and toward systemic change. We are also inviting the public to participate in the Beacon Voting Campaign, which recognizes nine nonprofits across Georgia that are advancing social and economic mobility. Through three rounds of voting, the public can help decide which organizations will receive additional funding.
We know that many of the challenges facing cities today, from housing to leadership, cannot be solved alone. They require us to come together and build something greater than the sum of our individual efforts. The Beloved Benefit is a symbol of what can happen when we do just that.
Right now, Atlanta is at a crossroads. The choices we make today will define the kind of city we become. Will we lean into division, or will we lean into possibility? Will we build walls, or will we build bridges?
At The Same House, we believe in building bridges. And we believe that when we lift up our most vulnerable neighbors, we all rise.
To learn more, visit www.thesamehouse.org.
