Community of Hospitality

The Community of Hospitality (COH) began in 1982 as a simple-living community offering hospitality to people experiencing homelessness. 

In 1988, COH opened Cafe 458 in the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta, directly behind the King Center. Café 458 was the world’s first sit-down, reservation-only restaurant for people experiencing homelessness. Two years later, COH expanded programming to include a relationship-centered alcohol and drug Recovery Program serving Café guests. For the past 32 years, the COH property on Edgewood Avenue has provided a dignity-affirming, relationship-centered space for people experiencing homelessness.

In the early 1990s, the COH residential house transitioned into a community of full-time volunteers who staffed the Café. The residential community was supported by a wider non-residential community that gathered weekly for interfaith meetings in the house. For over two decades, COH drew people from around the world who wanted to share life together. In 2012, the historic COH house became home to L’Arche Atlanta, a house-based community for people with and without disabilities.  L’Arche continues to practice community in the house. The wider COH interfaith community continues to meet weekly.

COH is currently re-investing in the historic Café 458 building to create an innovative hub for emerging and established nonprofits working within homeless and otherwise vulnerable groups. Much of the ground floor of the building will be opened into a collaborative, low-rent space accessible to community organizations, educators, and artists.

Location: Decatur, GA, USA

https://www.communityofhospitality.org/