When Dr. Kimberley Hundley first came to Atlanta from Los Angeles, she knew she’d found home. She recalls visiting the city many times as a child with family, with extended familial roots in the South stretching from Mississippi, but it wasn’t until her return as a young adult attending school in the Atlanta University Center that she realized this was the place where she was meant to be.

She spent much of her young adulthood living in and walking the streets of the Historic Westside, first as an undergraduate student at Clark Atlanta University and later a two-time graduate student at the Interdenominational Theological Center. For years, she lived in the Beckwith Hall dorms on the school’s campus before later moving to the Cascade neighborhood and then back to a rental home near Morehouse College. 

Her education led her to serving the local community for much of her professional career, currently working on the campus of City of Refuge as a behavioral health specialist for House of Cherith working with women rescued from human trafficking. 

Dr. Hundley met all of the criteria to participate in Westside Future Fund’s (WFF) Home on the Westside program, having lived in, been educated in, and worked in the Historic Westside community. After undergoing homeowner education courses and meeting with various stakeholders in the homeownership process, she was able to close on her new forever home in August of 2023 – a beautiful two bedroom, one bathroom house on Proctor Street adjacent to Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park. 

The closing came at a difficult time in her life, having lost her mother in the weeks just prior. She initially was hesitant to move forward at the time given her recent loss, but when she first arrived at the home, it was clear to her that this moment was meant to be. The home was her mother’s favorite color – an awe-striking baby blue. 

As if the beautiful connection to her mother wasn’t reason enough, she was awarded roughly $95,000 in first-time homebuyer assistance through a number of programs led by local nonprofit programs including WFF and City of Refuge. 

At a time when home was most important, she found a home that embodied all of her needs in one. Now a few months into her time in her new home, she’s reflecting on all that went into her incredible achievement.

To learn more about WFF’s Home on the Westside visit here.