By: Ayeshah Somani
Status: Home is Atlanta’s oldest and largest provider of housing for low-income and homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Maryum Phillips is actively leading the transformational efforts. As President and CEO, she has guided the organization through advancement during the last decade, expanding Metro Atlanta’s housing options with unyielding strategy and immense compassion. Status: Home differentiates itself with its enduring focus and commitment to serve the most marginalized individuals in a city marked by the escalating cost of living and chronic inequities in health.
Founded in 1988 as Jerusalem House, the organization has been pivotal in Atlanta’s response to housing people with HIV/AIDS. The 2023 rebranding to Status: Home was not merely cosmetic; it signified a renewed strategy for the organization focused on transparency and inclusivity. For Phillips, it was about putting on the mission crystal clear: providing safe, stable, and dignified housing that enables people to transcend mere subsistence. Her guidance has ensured that this promise is delivered to hundreds of Atlantans every single day.
A Focused Mission for a Complex Challenge
Achieving this level of care with such a significant range of services requires clearly understanding the community being served. Status: Home leverages substantial federal and local support, and funding through the City of Atlanta’s Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, managed by HUD’s Office of HIV/AIDS Housing. Under Phillips’ leadership, those resources are maximally invested into sustainable solutions as opposed to temporary band-aids. Every dollar spent is focused on reducing housing insecurity for those most in need. Her approach is straightforward: shelter the most vulnerable and tend to their needs.
Ownership as a Strategy Against Displacement
Atlanta’s housing market has been among the nation’s fastest-growing, with rents climbing beyond reach for many residents. Recognizing that vulnerability, Phillips championed a bold move: buying property outright to shield the organization from rising rents and market volatility. In the last two years alone, Status: Home acquired five apartment buildings, turning unpredictable rental agreements into stable, long-term assets that directly benefit residents.
This strategy isn’t just about economics. Owning buildings gives Status: Home the power to design and maintain units specifically for the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, integrating accessibility, privacy, and supportive services seamlessly. It also offers a level of control over maintenance, quality, and affordability that traditional leasing models simply can’t match. By making these purchases, Phillips and her team have turned federal and local funding into lasting infrastructure. Real places that people can call home for as long as they need.
Honoring the Past While Embracing Change
Despite all of its strategic changes, Status: Home is firmly anchored in its original goals and community tradition. That dedication is reflected in the renaming of an Atlanta street to Ullman Court in memory of co-founder Evelyn Ullman. It is a purposeful act of respect and commemoration, honoring those who established the foundation for a housing-first approach to HIV/AIDS during a period when stigma and fear threatened to deprive so many people of no options.
Similarly, the shift from the name Jerusalem House to Status: Home was more than a branding update. It was about communicating clearly and without barriers: this is a place where someone’s housing status is secure. For Phillips, that transparency matters. It avoids confusion and ensures that residents, partners, and funders all understand exactly what the organization stands for. In a sector where trust is everything, clear language and honest intent go a long way.
A Leader Grounded in Experience and Service
Maryum Phillips didn’t come to Status: Home as a stranger to the nonprofit world. She brings over twenty years of experience leading teams, raising funds, serving on boards, and offering guidance to other organizations, giving her a clear sense of what makes mission-driven work succeed. She studied English at the University of Michigan and earned a master’s in Non-Profit Leadership from Georgia State University, combining strong academic training with years of hands-on leadership in Georgia’s nonprofit community.
Her work has earned real recognition. Phillips is a Georgia Titan 100 inductee and three-time honoree, named among the state’s most influential CEOs. She’s a graduate of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2023 and serves as chair of the board for the National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition. That national role gives her a broader perspective, she brings home to Atlanta, helping Status: Home shape strategies that meet local needs while staying connected to the larger conversation about housing and public health.
Building Stability Through Comprehensive Care
This approach rests on a fundamental principle: stable housing makes everything else possible. Housing serves as the foundation for safety, health, and opportunity. For people living with HIV/AIDS, having a secure, private place is often critical for maintaining treatment adherence.
Status: Home understands this connection, ensuring every unit they provide goes beyond basic shelter. Each unit represents a concrete step toward improved health and lasting stability.
A Model for Atlanta and Beyond
Although Atlanta’s housing problem has garnered national attention, other options are often inadequate and old-fashioned. Status: Home provides an alternative paradigm that is focused on strategic investment, evidence-based programming, and specialization. The agency provides services that are both effective and focused by concentrating on a population with urgent, specialized needs. Because of Phillips’ leadership, these services are able to balance innovation and tradition while adapting to a changing community.
The impact is evident and intimate for the almost 500 individuals who receive Status: Home residences annually. However, the lessons are applicable to more than just those particular tales. Under Phillips’ direction, Status: Home shows that real change requires consistent, methodical effort rather than lofty promises. Heritage preservation, working with government agencies, buying properties when needed, and future planning are all part of this. In the fight against homelessness and health inequities, it serves as a reminder that compassionate and strategic leadership may make all the difference.
If you want to support this mission or learn more about how Status: Home is helping Atlanta’s most vulnerable residents, visit statushome.org. Together, we can help ensure everyone has a safe, stable, and dignified place to call home.
