Neighbors Helping Neighbors: FreeRent ATL’s Fundraiser Amplifies Financial Wellness in Atlanta

Crystal Jordan
Sep 3
3 min read

By Crystal Jordan

Auesomely You Magazine

Published: 9/3/2025

Pillar Focus: Advocacy

As Atlanta’s skyline blazed with summer warmth on August 22, 2025, an equally powerful wave of hope swept through the city. FreeRent ATL’s signature fundraiser, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, transformed The Stave Room into a vibrant canvas of generosity, culture, and community purpose. At the heart of it all: a bold declaration that financial stability isn’t a luxury, it’s a lifeline.

At Auesomely You Magazine, our Advocacy pillar celebrates moments where people rise up to fight for equity, dignity, and support for their communities. Last night’s event was exactly that: neighbors advocating for neighbors in the most impactful way possible.

Imagine Atlanta’s neighborhoods coming alive in a single room: tasting stations paying homage to East Atlanta Village and the Old Fourth Ward, live tunes from a jazz trio to a lively nine-piece ensemble, stories that stirred the soul, and auctions that spurred action. It was a multisensory declaration that financial support can and should feel like community art in motion.

Impact That Speaks—$460,000 Raised

The magic of the night? The collective could-do spirit of Atlantans. Thanks to local businesses, sponsors, and countless supporters, $460,000 was raised—enough to deliver more than just short‑term relief; this is the kind of financial foothold that helps families rebuild stability and plan for the future.

FreeRent ATL stands on the belief that housing isn’t charity it's stability, dignity, and a springboard to wealth. With programs offering up to a full year of rental assistance, paired with financial education and wraparound support, the initiative strengthens families both now and down the road. In fact, in 2025, they plan to support more than 50 families toward brighter futures.

NBA legend Dominique Wilkins and his wife Jedidia Wilkins, co-chairs of the fundraiser, have anchored this movement with unwavering compassion. Dominique’s words are a town hall to every attendee:

“It’s about giving people a hand up and room to breathe. All people really want is a chance to build a more secure future.

Nearly half of Atlanta’s renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing—placing them dangerously close to instability with just one unexpected setback. That’s not just a number; it’s a community under pressure. FreeRent’s approach offers stabilization and a stepping-stone to long-term financial wellness, not just a temporary fix.

This event wasn’t about glamour; it was about momentum. It was about Atlanta not just attending an event, but choosing to stand on the side of financial empowerment. Local chefs, artists, and storytellers poured in their talent. Families and funders poured in their generosity.

The result? $460,000 invested in real futures.

Under our Financial Wellness lens, Neighbors Helping Neighbors is more than a fundraiser—it’s a blueprint for collective financial healing. When neighbors pool resources, stories, and passion, they don’t just raise money—they raise potential, opportunity, and stability.

To the families who now have room to breathe, and to the city that showed up for them: this is what community looks like.