When the Rev. James Milner saw an opportunity to buy the Vineyards Apartments in the Vine City community of Atlanta, he jumped on it.

Once a foreclosed property, the apartments, when renovated into two- to four-bedroom units, will house up to 32 homeless families. Scheduled to be completed in December, the project also will provide an on-site facility for a community center, and a place where case management and other social services can be provided by Fulton County and the city of Atlanta.

"While in past years we have provided rooms to accommodate single homeless persons, now we will be able to unite husbands and wives and children in a common space that will become a real home for them," Milner said." This adds a dignity and integrity to their lives that is not as prevalent in the dormitory dwellings we've provided in our initial phase of providing homeless housing."

Housing the homeless and serving the chronically mentally ill has been Milner's mission for 20 years, since he founded the nonprofit Community Concerns Inc. The organization sprang up as a ministry of his church, the Chapel of Christian Love Missionary Baptist. "We go from the Bible verse Matthew 25, verses 31-46 —- to serve the population that's identified in those verses and build our ministry that way, rather than a megachurch," Milner said.

Community Concerns Inc. has partnered with the city of Atlanta and Fulton County, providing housing and transitional programs for homeless men and women, as well as services for the chronically mentally ill, such as case management, counseling and addiction treatment programs. The facilities also provide job training.

While the organization accepts donations, Milner said it also needs volunteers in different capacities. They are in need of retired social workers or counselors to donate their time as mentors and counselors.

For information, call CCI at 404-659-3390 or go to www.communityconcernsinc.org.

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