Fulton County commissioners have approved spending $30,000 for transitional housing and case management for mental health clients of the Public Defender’s Office. County funds are to be matched by in-kind services worth $30,000 by United Way of Greater Atlanta.

The money will be for transitional housing services and case management of seven to 10 mental health clients at a time, with 30 to 40 Fulton County Jail inmates served annually.

The program seeks to assist clients suffering from substance abuse, medical and/or mental health problems. They are to be placed in treatment facilities as soon as possible after arrest as an alternative to incarceration.

A memorandum of understanding involving Fulton County, the Public Defender’s Office and United Way specifies that the program is for chronically homeless persons able to operate in a semi-independent, shared living situation.

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Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney — pictured during a hearing Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 — has cleared the way for Georgia's State Election Board to obtain Fulton ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC