Jon Abercrombie, advocate for ending homelessness, dies at 77

Jon Abercrombie spent his life making sure those with no power were heard. Whether he was mentoring high school students, finding volunteers to help build houses or organizing roundtable discussions of 400 people, “he always had a heart for those with no voice, who needed an advocate,” said his widow, Frances Abercrombie.

The only child of James and Ruth Abercrombie, Jonathan David Abercrombie was born Dec. 26, 1947, in Crawford Long Hospital. He died Nov. 30 from complications related to Parkinson’s disease.

After graduating from high school in Southwest Atlanta, he earned a degree in Greek from Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. Abercrombie thought he might become a preacher like his grandfather, but decided he could better serve another way.

His wife said he loved being a student — he later got a master’s in sociology from University of Memphis and a master’s in counseling from Georgia State University.

Abercrombie’s first job was mentoring students at Gordon High School with Campus Life, part of Youth For Christ, where he met educator Frances Atkins, whom he married in 1972.

Musician and songwriter Lindy Hearne, who was also working for Campus Life, became friends with the Abercrombies. They had been “married for only two weeks, but invited me to stay with them,” Hearne said. “Jon and I were fast friends, running and biking and going to music events together. He was one of my best friends, but I think everyone who knew Jon felt that he was their best friend.”

Both men joined the Episcopal church in the early 1970s, after being raised Baptists. Later in life, Abercrombie and his wife joined the flower guild at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church.

The newlyweds moved to Memphis, where Abercrombie spent years working with youth before the couple returned to Decatur in 1980. There, he started the nonprofit Charis Community Housing, which partnered with churches to coordinate volunteers and to find people who needed housing.

Frances doesn’t know how many houses the organization built but said, “It was a lot.” Charis was one of President George H.W. Bush’s Thousand Points of Light.

Somewhere along the way, Abercrombie met and became close friends with Bill Bolling, who started the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Frances said the two would eat lunch together “and talk and talk.”

Abercrombie had an idea to bring together government, faith and business communities to find ways to end homelessness. Bolling later said such a gathering had never been done before.

“Jon was an amazing person as far as appreciating others went,” said Jim Baskett, former Decatur mayor and city commission member. “He raised up everybody he possibly could.”

In the late 1990s, Decatur was deciding what direction the city should take after its growth following the 1996 Olympics. Baskett said Abercrombie worked with the Study Circle Resource Center in Connecticut, a group that helps the community talk through racial issues.

“Jon jumped in and got everyone on board, and it was hugely successful,” Baskett said. “He led the whole effort, coordinating volunteers for our roundtable discussions. It became the basis of our strategic plan.”

Soon, the Study Circle Resource Center was sending Abercrombie around the country to help other communities.

In addition to helping local governments, Abercrombie served on the DeKalb County Library Board of Trustees, the Decatur Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and the Clarkston Development Foundation Board.

In 2012, Abercrombie was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but for years it didn’t seem to slow him down.