Cars speeding down I-20 to and from work in the City of Atlanta pass under the shadow of Atlanta’s former debtors’ prison. Few know this part of the city’s dark past. Even fewer know of the unmarked graves uncovered during the construction of I-20. A sentence served in the Atlanta stockade became known as a fate worse than death. The city closed the stockade in the early 1900’s.

Today this symbol of inhumanity has been transformed into a symbol of hope. In the 1980’s the city of Atlanta transferred its ownership of the stockade to Charis Community Housing. The building now known as GlenCastle serves as a safe, affordable, transitional apartment community. A drug-free environment with supportive chaplaincy services, GlenCastle acts as a stepping stone for 62 families and individuals who are working diligently towards a better life. The place that once stood as a dead-end now stands as a gateway to new beginnings.