Community members, staff, friends, and family all came together on a Saturday afternoon at the nerve center of Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) as the nonprofit hosted its community open house.
PAD is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides an alternative to police response for individuals experiencing mental health concerns, poverty, and substance use. Often, when police are called to respond to individuals who may be trespassing due to being unhoused or struggling with substance use, those individuals are taken to jails throughout the city. This contributes to a disproportionate number of people being incarcerated despite primarily needing support rather than punishment.
“If we can interrupt a cycle of arrest and incarceration that leaves everybody worse off, then we’re able to really support our communities and everybody’s wellness,” said PAD Executive Director Moki Macias.
PAD’s origins trace back to Midtown Atlanta in the early 2010s, when sex workers were frequently targeted by law enforcement for activities tied to survival rather than violent crime. Rather than expanding services, some community members pushed for their removal from public spaces, prompting organizers to search for alternatives that focused on support instead of punishment.
“At the time, people didn’t want to provide services — they just wanted them banished,” said Denise White, PAD program director.
Community organizers and local officials later studied a diversion program in Seattle that connected individuals facing arrest to resources and case management instead. That model became the foundation for PAD, which launched in Atlanta in 2017.
The open house offered a look inside how PAD operates and why the organization has become a critical resource in Atlanta. Visitors got a glimpse of PAD’s clothing closet, where staff organize and distribute essentials to people in need, alongside food, housing support, and other resources. The organization’s services are especially important in a city where jails are severely overcrowded, and housing instability remains widespread. Local data show that about 1 in every 8 people booked into Atlanta jails has experienced housing instability.
Fulton County’s jail population regularly exceeds capacity, with many people held for low-level offenses connected to poverty, substance use, or unmet mental health needs. PAD works to reduce that cycle by responding to those situations without police involvement and connecting people to services before they enter the jail system.
PAD’s approach is informed not just by professional experience, but by the lived experiences of staff who have navigated the challenges PAD addresses. Bean Peters, a current PAD care navigator, said his own story helps instill “hope” in those he helps serve today. “Well, when I was 13 years old, I went to prison for five years,” Peters said. At a young age, Peters also experienced being unhoused. “I was homeless downtown, you know, and so sometimes people are caught up out there and don’t know how to navigate the system.”
“For me it’s all about passing out hope,” Peters said. In his role, he goes out into encampments and other areas across Atlanta to meet with people experiencing being unhoused, helping them navigate the system and obtain the documentation they need to access housing, behavioral health services, and other support.
“I’ve always been a humanitarian at heart,” Peters said. “If I can give somebody something, plus help them navigate the system and get into housing… that’s what I’m after.”
The work at PAD extends beyond the staff who go out into the city each day, providing food, housing, and other resources. The work can begin with you. PAD offers routine training for anyone who wants to learn how to help someone struggling with mental health, substance use, or other challenges, and how to connect them to the right services.
“We invite community members to take one of our training sessions if they want to learn how to support somebody who may be experiencing mental health distress and how to navigate the resources that exist in Atlanta,” said PAD Executive Director Moki Macias.
Macias said it’s all part of the idea that safety isn’t just about police — it’s about people having what they need. “When people have what they need, our communities can be safer for everybody,” she said.
Anyone in the city can also call 311 instead of 911 if they see someone in need of assistance. Calling sends PAD’s community response team to provide support and connect that person to resources.