A plan for two new homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in south DeKalb County, Georgia, has been called off. Claratel Behavioral Health, the county's public community service board, said Oct. 29 that it had ended the Wesley Chapel Road project and stopped construction. It also canceled a community meeting set for that evening at Southwest DeKalb High School.

The decision followed about a week of neighborhood opposition and questions from county commissioners, Decaturish reported. In a longer follow-up statement on Oct. 30, Claratel set out what the homes were meant to be, what they would have cost and how staff would have been paid.

What was planned

According to Claratel's statement:

  • Two single-family-style homes at 3053 Wesley Chapel Road, each for no more than four adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, "such as individuals with autism and Down syndrome who need additional assistance with daily living."
  • Round-the-clock staffing. Trained caregivers would be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to help with meals, personal care, daily routines, health needs and building independence.
  • A $20 starting wage. The staffing model set a minimum starting wage of $20 an hour for direct care professionals with a high school diploma, plus benefits.
  • State money. Planned state investment was about $4.5 million for construction and an estimated $3.5 million a year for staffing and operations.
  • A statewide push. The homes were part of an effort started by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) to increase capacity and access to specialized IDD residential care. Claratel said they were designed to serve as a model for the state.

Claratel said information circulating in the neighborhood had described the site as a crisis center and mischaracterized the people who would live there, which it called "completely inaccurate."

Decaturish found that an April solicitation for a construction manager estimated construction at about $1.65 million. It described two homes, a new road, parking, utilities, fencing, recreation space and a multipurpose building. Plans show the two homes as a first phase, with later phases for more supportive housing and a community house.

How the opposition built

Decaturish reported that a Change.org petition launched Oct. 22 asked for construction to stop. It cited traffic, pedestrian and school safety, emergency services and the effect on the neighborhood. Super District 7 Commissioner LaDena Bolton said her office first heard about the project Oct. 21 from constituents. On Oct. 23 her office and the commissioners for Districts 3 and 5 formally asked Claratel for more information and a community meeting.

Bolton said she wanted to pause the project until residents had more information and other sites could be considered. She said she would have preferred that Claratel hold the meeting. District 3 Commissioner Nicole Massiah said residents had raised concerns about safety, zoning and property values, and that she was "deeply disappointed" the meeting was canceled on short notice.

Claratel said representatives of five commission districts attended "Inside Claratel" events on Sept. 18 and 30, where the Wesley Chapel project was discussed. Decaturish noted the statement did not say who attended or how much detail was shared.

The zoning question

Claratel says it did not need county approval. Its statement says community service boards are public corporations and instrumentalities of the state under O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6(a), and that state instrumentalities are exempt from local zoning. The project therefore did not go before the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. Claratel said it took part in county permitting to cooperate with local government. The site had county approval from 2021 for an eight-home single-family subdivision and some infrastructure already in place, Decaturish reported.

Claratel said it searched all of DeKalb County before choosing the site. It already runs eight licensed residential homes for people with IDD in the county, six in north DeKalb and two in south DeKalb, some open for more than 30 years. Ending this project "does not change the need" for specialized residential services, it said.

The need behind the project

Georgia's waiting list for developmental disability waiver services is long. In its February overview of the governor's fiscal 2027 budget proposal, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute reported 7,891 Georgians on the "planning list" for NOW and COMP waiver services. It also reported 4,505 people enrolled in NOW and 9,789 in COMP. The proposal included $5.5 million to annualize 150 existing waiver slots and add 100 new ones.

What this means for providers and DSPs

  • Pay benchmark: a public provider budgeting $20 an hour as the starting wage for direct care workers in new state-funded IDD homes gives Georgia agencies a reference point when they compete for staff.
  • Siting and outreach: the project ended over community reaction, not a legal ruling. Claratel said it had legal authority to proceed. Providers planning homes can note how quickly claims about who would live there, which Claratel called inaccurate, spread before any public meeting was held.
  • Capacity: DBHDD's push for more specialized residential capacity continues, Claratel said. Providers in Georgia may see more state-funded residential projects, and more questions about where they go.
  • DSPs: the canceled homes would have needed round-the-clock staff for up to eight residents. No new site has been announced.