In their own words
On August 18, 2026, neighbors filled the council chamber at Cumming City Hall to talk about the Cottages of providence. Thirteen people spoke during public comment. Every one of them spoke in favor.
Then the City Council voted 5 to 0 in support of the project's application for the Georgia Rehoused grant. Here is some of what you would have heard.
Each video is a short excerpt, with captions on. The transcript of each one is under the video. The City of Cumming posted the full meeting (opens YouTube in a new tab) and the minutes (opens a PDF in a new tab).
Why St. Vincent de Paul asked
"We have the people, you can see. We have the need. We have a plan. We just need the opportunity to move forward."
Read the transcript
My name is Kathy Johnson. I'm the current president of St. Vincent de Paul in Forsyth County. I love living in Cumming. I've lived here for over 25 years in Forsyth County, and we have so much to be proud of. We are living in a well-run community. We have great schools, beautiful parks, strong nonprofits and churches, businesses, people who genuinely care about our neighbors. But we have a gap. We have seniors and veterans living on fixed incomes, many times less than $1,000 a month, and they simply can't afford to live here. We have young people who are working. They're doing everything we ask them to do, and they still can't make enough to afford housing here. They need some job training. They need an opportunity to move to the next income level. At St. Vincent de Paul, our Forsyth County helpline receives 10 to 15 calls every day. So Mariel shared some of that data with you. Overwhelmingly, the need we hear about is housing. People are struggling to pay rent because housing has simply become unaffordable. So we can do better. The Cottages of providence gives us an opportunity to begin addressing that gap, right here in Cumming. It's 74 small, permanent cottages in a thoughtfully designed community, with affordable rents, supportive services, and opportunities for residents to become more stable and independent. We're not asking the city to solve this problem alone. We're asking you to partnership with us, to give us the opportunity to show what Cumming can do when government, nonprofits, churches, businesses, and neighbors work together. We have the people, you can see. We have the need. We have a plan. We just need the opportunity to move forward. Thank you.
Kathy Johnson leads the Cottages of providence. She has lived in Forsyth County for more than 25 years, and she is the current president of St. Vincent de Paul in Forsyth County, whose volunteers answer the helpline.
She spoke second that night, right after Mariel Risner-Sivley of St. Vincent de Paul Georgia. Her two minutes are the case for the project. What follows is what her neighbors and the council said.
From public comment
"They needed a hand up, not a handout."
Read the transcript
There was a HUD project, apartments that were like 20 years old on Highway 20, and the Board of Commissioners called a town hall meeting. United Way got involved, and there was, I don't know, at least this many people, maybe more. But most people were in red shirts and against it. And person after person came to the microphone, speaking about those people. "We don't want those people here." "We don't want those people living among us." "We don't want those people." They just kept saying those people, those people. And I was sitting there, and each time they would say it, it was like piercing my heart, because I was thinking, who do you think these people are? My daddy would have been considered one of those people. And so they went on and on and on about it. And then finally, this man, the line was long, and this man came up to the microphone, and he turned around, sort of to the crowd, and he said, "I want y'all to all look at me, because I'm one of those people that you keep talking about." He said his wife got cancer and she died, and they needed both incomes to survive. And he asked his special needs son to stand up, who was then an adult. And he said he didn't have to live there that long, but if it hadn't been for that, he would have probably lost his son, because he had nowhere to go and they were homeless. And because of that opportunity, he was able to get back up on his feet. And he was able to get a good job, and he was able to save, and to take care of his son that still lived with him then. It was as if the whole room changed their attitude. And all these people I was watching, one by one, they were going to get up there with their red shirt and say no, no, no. And they started to sit down, because their hearts had been so hard, and it had been melted away when they saw who was really those people. And it was just people down on their luck that needed a chance. They needed a hand up, not a handout. They just needed a hand up.
"We know that some seniors in this county, even longtime residents, do not have that."
Read the transcript
Good evening. My name is Joan Welty. I'm the president of AgeWell Forsyth, which is a local nonprofit founded almost 20 years ago to support seniors' needs in the county, and we work with agencies such as the county senior services and The Place to do that. Affordable senior housing and care has been one of our longtime care-abouts for the community. Managing our small grants for senior programs has given us a window into the at-times dire and unsafe living conditions many face, as well as a lack of ongoing support that could increase stability and safety and reduce isolation and its attendant risks. It's easy for many to believe, based on our county's growth and wealth, that all seniors here have someone looking out for them, someone they can depend on. But we know that some seniors in this county, even longtime residents, do not have that, or even if they do, that assistance may not be able to be extended to financial or care support. As a small organization, AgeWell has actually been looking for years to partner with some larger entities that could make something like the Cottages of providence a reality. While not strictly a seniors' initiative, its goal of giving them preference appeals to our desire to expand that support for that population. We know it's truly needed and are anxious to support it in any way practical. Thank you.
"The biggest problem is they have nowhere to reside."
Read the transcript
Good evening. My name is Margarita Jimenez. I am the program director at The Drop. We fall under Forsyth County Community Connection. I'm really glad you mentioned young adults. We are here to support 18- to 24-year-olds that are facing housing insecurity in Forsyth County. We started the program at the end of 2024. And so far we've served about 51 young adults that reside in this area. They are presently here. Ten of them graduated from high school this past May. Five are going to college starting now. We work with them on independent living skills, supportive services, case management, send them to great referrals out in the community. See some great partners here that we refer them to. The biggest problem is they have nowhere to reside. Currently, we have three clients that are between 18 and 20 years old that are in their vehicle today, in this heat. We can support them. We have laundry service. They come and do their laundry. They can shower. They can eat. We help them as much as we can. This program would be amazing for us, to be able to have these young adults who are working but can't make ends meet enough to be able to rent a room or to be able to rent an apartment, to have somewhere to go, with some steps, knowing that they're able to pay some, and then move out and have somewhere else to go. So we are in full support of this program. Thank you to you guys. They are always supporting us and finding ways to have them housed as well. So we're here to support the program. Thank you.
"I live on $1,600 a month Social Security."
Read the transcript
A lot of the people are saying, "I've had to move in with my children. I can't afford to live on my own." Now, these are seniors, I'm 79, these are seniors my age, who have children who are now empty nesters because their kids have all gone off to college. They're still paying for those college educations, and now they're stuck having to take care of their parents. And we don't want that. It just breaks my heart every time my daughter says, "Mom, do you need anything?" I live on $1,600 a month Social Security. When my husband was alive, we could afford the little house that they found for us when we moved here, and we just loved it. But once he passed away, his Social Security went, and I couldn't afford to live on Exit 17 anymore.
From the council
"I'd like to kind of add my story. I'm one of those people."
Read the transcript
I'd like to kind of add my story. I'm one of those people. I grew up the son of a single-parent dad who spent 35 years as a police officer. And we lived in every apartment, run-down trailer in this county, it seems like. And the last 15 years of his life, he had to live with me, 'cause he lived off a thousand dollars a month. That was police retirement and Social Security. I've got two children, both college educated. It takes a $100,000 down payment to buy a home in this community that they grew up in. So they're both college educated, they're both working, but they're both living at home. They can't afford to live where they grew up, where I grew up, where a lot of us grew up. So pray that this moves forward, with the help of the council and the DDA, because it's something that we desperately need.
"I'm not looking for a reason to say no. Really, it's more of a reason to responsibly say yes."
Two excerpts from his remarks, joined. In the meeting, his question to the city attorney and the answer come between them.
Read the transcript
So I want to thank everybody that spoke tonight and showed up. It's actually unusual we have a lot of people show up, like Cindy said, that show up in favor of something. Appreciate all your stories. There's clearly a need in this community, all across this country, for more affordable housing. Housing prices, as we all know, have really gotten out of hand. Some of the numbers the last lady spoke about just really make it pretty apparent that in a lot of situations it can deteriorate real fast, how you can afford housing. I like the concept. I know there's a lot of things that need to be ironed out. Like I said, I'm not looking for a reason to say no. Really, it's more of a reason to responsibly say yes.
"Ever since it was brought to my attention, I was on board."
Council member Chad Crane speaks first. Susie Charles-Carr makes the motion and Chad Crane seconds it, according to the meeting minutes. The council voted 5 to 0 in support of the project's application for the Georgia Rehoused grant.
Read the transcript
Ever since it was brought to my attention, I was on board. I'm all for it. So do we have a motion of the council? I'll make a motion that we approve the joint resolution of the City of Cumming and the Downtown Development Authority. Please vote. Motion carries, five votes.
What happens next
The vote lets St. Vincent de Paul apply for the Georgia Rehoused grant. A rezoning and a ground lease come next, and the cottages still have to be paid for. You can follow every step on the plan, or help build the first cottages now.
