Local nonprofit organization Intown Collaborative Ministries, a leader in addressing homelessness and hunger in Atlanta, announced it is changing its name to Intown Cares and has unveiled a new visual identity. The launch follows a months-long rebrand process that included input from key stakeholders to capture the organization’s evolution and its focus looking ahead.

"We are thrilled to be Intown Cares. Our new name and visual identity better reflect how our organization has grown over the past 13 years and who we are today, and helps us boldly communicate the essence and impact of the work we do every day to help our neighbors experiencing homelessness and hunger navigate the journey to housing and food," said Brad Schweers, executive director of Intown Cares. “We’re still Intown, but we are repositioning the organization to be more relatable, easily distinguishable, and embraced, in line with the expansion of our mission.”

The rebrand was officially introduced with a video announcement from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, which aired at the organization's 10th annual Heart and Home gala fundraiser, held April 29 at Georgia Aquarium. The Heart and Home event, presented by Acadia Shutters, raised over $310,000 in support of programs and services provided by Intown Cares and honored Georgia State Senator Rev. Kim Jackson with the Beloved Community Award. Jackson is vicar of Church of the Common Ground, one of Intown's key partners on homeless services.

A longtime champion and ally to intown Atlantans in great need, the organization was founded in 2010 as Intown Collaborative Ministries, a cohort of congregations that provided and operated a food pantry. Over the years the mission of Intown expanded to include homeless services to help many who have lived on Atlanta's streets find permanent housing. Among Atlanta organizations serving people experiencing homelessness, Intown provides navigation and outreach. The organization does not operate shelters or manage housing, nor provide treatment or job training. Intown’s approach is to help individuals get into housing first. This federally approved, Atlanta-embraced “Housing First” model is a proven-effective way to help people move into permanent housing and thrive—allowing other personal obstacles to be addressed after the person is housed and not as a precondition to housing. Intown is a member of the Atlanta Continuum of Care, a group of direct service providers, government entities, businesses and community stakeholders who promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness in the City of Atlanta.

Today, Intown Cares still receives vital support from the original congregations, as well as from government grants, foundations, businesses, individual donors, and community partners. It has one of the largest, most innovative low-barrier food pantries in Atlanta, operating every Tuesday and Saturday and serving over 500 unique households each month. There are no requirements for ID, proof of citizenship, or pay stubs, and no limits on how often people can come to the pantry. Through a partnership with Amazon, Intown launched a grocery delivery service in 2021 for people who could not travel to the pantry. In 2022, 337 families were served via the delivery service.

Through its dual programs, Intown serves neighbors who face the greatest obstacles, including chronic homelessness (unhoused for at least a year) and/or a disabling condition, and an increasing number of people in need of food due to inflation.

"What distinguishes us most is our commitment to do all we can to succeed at finding a way to solve the complexity of homelessness and hunger in Atlanta,” Schweers said. “Last year, Intown housed 49% of all people experiencing chronic homelessness in Atlanta. And, as food prices remain high, especially for healthy fresh food, Intown has eliminated the worry of accessing food and created food security for many Atlantans by providing food for over 290,867 meals in the last year. This all results from the persistence of our teams and our unique approach to work effectively – as part of Atlanta’s ecosystem and in collaboration with partners – to deliver innovative solutions in a smart, compassionate, dignity-affirming way.”