Solace Grove—the affordable housing development that opened its doors earlier this year—saw residents, neighbors, and partners gather to recognize this collective achievement.
Designed with area seniors in mind, the development was made possible through the partnership of Gresham Park Community Development Inc., First Baptist Church Gresham Road (FBC), national affordable housing developer Vecino, and the Housing Authority of DeKalb County.
Speakers on hand for the event included representatives from Dekalb County, Enterprise Communities, and Wells Fargo, as well as Vecino Director of Development Wesley Brown and FBC Pastor Norman H. Thomas Jr..
“This is an example of the power of persistence, patience and faith,” said Pastor Thomas. “I grew up near here and went to the YMCA as a boy. After I became a Pastor years later, I noticed there wasn’t much activity on this property, and reached out to the owners. They shared that ‘although we hadn’t intended on selling this building, since you’re a faith-based organization we’ll have a discussion with you’. That was in 2013.”
”Sometimes you get things for one reason—but God has a different plan. Deacon Quashie did a lot of talking, meeting with many, many people who had different ideas for the property and—by the grace of God— he ran into Wesley. Sometimes your greatest asset is patience, and I’m glad we waited long enough to find a partner that met the church’s vision of building something to benefit our community.”
“I want to say thank you to all who worked on this, even behind the scenes—and hopefully we will be able to expand and do other things for our community in the future.”
The First Baptist Church Gresham Road had owned the land for several years with a goal of creating unique, impactful housing there. Partnering with Vecino helped to make this possible, and after many months of planning, the community broke ground in September 2024.
“My sincerest gratitude for our development partners, the First Baptist Church of Gresham and the Gresham Park CDC,” said Wesley Brown, Vecino Group Director of Development. “Their relentless leadership and devotion to this community was central in getting us here, and I cannot say enough about their people. We’re proud to keep the tradition of this property—as a place of community gathering—alive through Solace Grove. All walks of life in DeKalb County are here—veterans, flight attendants, former FBI, teachers—and we have the pleasure of hosting these residents.”
Jonathan Phillips, Constituent Services Manager and Dr. Alan Ferguson, Housing Director represented for DeKalb County.
“It’s truly a blessing to be here, and CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson sends her warmest regards and to celebrate Solace Grove—a major milestone for seniors in our community,” said Phillips. “This is more than a ribbon cutting: it symbolizes stability, compassion and opportunity for those that have given so much.”
”This development is a testament that things can get done, and done in a beautiful way,” added Dr. Ferguson. “I can understand why it is named Solace Grove: as soon as you come here, it’s like a step down in temperature. It’s an oasis within the neighborhood providing certainty and peace.”
Solace Grove, located at 2318 Second Ave., delivers a three-story main building containing apartments, a community room, fitness area, computer room and arts and crafts space. Complementing this are 6 single-story triplexes, each containing 6 units. All the homes serve seniors (62 and over) who are at or below 60% of the area median income. Additional amenities include raised bed gardens and walking paths.
The Solace Grove team included Lead Development by Vecino, Architecture and Design performed by Vecino Design, Civil Engineering by RASK Engineering, with HJ Russell Construction as General Contractor. The development is a joint ownership of Gresham Park CDC and Vecino.
The $37 million Solace Grove development was made possible through tax credit support from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the leadership of the Dekalb County officials, and received financing from the DeKalb County Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, the National Affordable Housing Trust, Sugar Creek Capital, the Low Income Investment Fund, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Affordable housing continues to be a challenging prospect. Partners were impressed not only by the property, but also by the teams, the collaboration and the persistence that led to Solace Grove. Timothy Block, Senior Director, Programs / Enterprise Community Partners shared:
“Solace Grove is a validation. Enterprise’ faith-based development initiative was a bold vision six years ago, but there was a lot uncertainty and very few resources. What we DID have were committed partners that believed in the mission. In addition to helping create the building behind us, leaders like Ron and Pastor Thomas who are creating a ripple effect, helping each faith community believe that they can do this, too.”
Tai Roberson, Southeast Director at Wells Fargo Foundation said, “Affordable Housing is important for me as someone who grew up with housing insecurity. So, to see work like this is exciting. And developments like this only happen because you have people who don’t give up, who are paying it forward, and remember the needs of the community. This was a really big deal for Wells Fargo, and so to see this happen is wonderful.”
After remarks and a formal ribbon cutting, guests enjoyed refreshments and a tour of the amenities and grounds.
Brown seemed to sum up everyone’s feelings with a personal touch.
“I’m a new parent and—more than ever—I realize this community was built very much like my son is being raised by our “village”. Meaning you can’t do it alone. First Baptist, Gresham Park CDC, DCA, Dekalb County Leadership and Housing Authority, Enterprise, Wells Fargo—I just want to say thank you. Without all of you, this doesn’t happen.”
