MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IN ATLANTA
Women and girls in metro Atlanta face growing mental health challenges shaped by economic pressure, caregiving responsibilities, trauma, and long-standing systemic inequities. The Atlanta Women’s Foundation (AWF) advances research-driven, evidence-based solutions that strengthen individual wellbeing and contribute to long-term community resilience.
Our role is to serve as an educator, funder, and connector on the critical issue of mental health and wellbeing. As Atlanta’s only public foundation dedicated exclusively to women and girls, AWF plays a catalytic role: translating research into strategic investment and mobilizing resources to drive measurable, systems-level change.
In 2025, the Atlanta Women’s Foundation commissioned an independent research firm to conduct The Status of Women and Youth Mental Health in Metro Atlanta: A Comprehensive Assessment across Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. The findings were clear:
Mental health challenges among women and youth are widespread, intensifying, and deeply rooted in systemic conditions.
Economic Stress Is a Mental Health Issue
Every behavioral health provider surveyed (100%) identified economic stress as a direct driver of mental distress. Across the five-county region:
Median household income ranges from $60,067 in Clayton County to over $102,000 in Cobb County.
Women are concentrated in essential but low-wage sectors, earning $15–$17 per hour, compared to the metro average of $33.73 per hour.
Families spend between 21% and 36% of their income on childcare for two children. Women describe carrying a constant “mental load” of survival decision-making — rent, food, transportation, childcare — leaving little space for rest or healing.
The findings make clear: economic security is foundational to mental well-being.
Housing Instability and Mental Health Are Intertwined
Housing insecurity functions as both a cause and consequence of mental health challenges.
In Metro Atlanta:
That number exceeds
and
Family homelessness has increased:
When more than half of income goes toward housing, mental health deteriorates. Stability becomes fragile, and preventive care becomes inaccessible. Safe, affordable housing is one of the most powerful mental health interventions available.
Fragmented Systems Limit Access to Care
Even when women seek support, access remains uneven.
ONLY
Women navigating anxiety, trauma, or postpartum depression often must also navigate transportation barriers, insurance limitations, childcare gaps, and long waitlists.
Too often, systems are designed around providers rather than the realities families face. The system is designed around providers rather than families. AWF advocates for integrated, culturally responsive, and accessible models of care that meet women where they are.
Maternal Mental Health Requires
Urgent Investment
Nationally, 1 IN 5 women experience Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs).
In Metro Atlanta, female-headed households face poverty rates as high as 30% or more in some counties.
Economic strain, limited childcare, housing instability, and lack of culturally concordant providers compound maternal mental health risks.
When mothers struggle, children and families feel the ripple effects. AWF supports two-generation and family-centered approaches that address both caregiver wellbeing and child development simultaneously.
Fragmented Systems Limit Access to Care
Even when women seek support, access remains uneven.
ONLY
Women navigating anxiety, trauma, or postpartum depression often must also navigate transportation barriers, insurance limitations, childcare gaps, and long waitlists.
Too often, systems are designed around providers rather than the realities families face. The system is designed around providers rather than families. AWF advocates for integrated, culturally responsive, and accessible models of care that meet women where they are.
Maternal Mental Health Requires
Urgent Investment
Nationally, 1 IN 5 women experience Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs).
In Metro Atlanta, female-headed households face poverty rates as high as 30% or more in some counties.
Economic strain, limited childcare, housing instability, and lack of culturally concordant providers compound maternal mental health risks.
When mothers struggle, children and families feel the ripple effects. AWF supports two-generation and family-centered approaches that address both caregiver wellbeing and child development simultaneously.
Youth Mental Health and Disconnection
Youth in Metro Atlanta are navigating unprecedented stressors, from social media pressures to economic insecurity at home.
6-7% OF YOUTH AGES 16-19 ARE DISCONNECTED
(NOT IN SCHOOL AND NOT WORKING).
IN CLAYTON COUNTY, THAT NUMBER RISES TO 11%,
NEARLY TRIPLE COBB COUNTY’S 4%.
Disconnection correlates with higher mental health risk, especially among adolescent girls reporting persistent sadness and anxiety.
Investing in youth mental health means investing in prevention, school-based supports, and culturally grounded services that help girls and young people build resilience early. Investing in youth mental health means investing in prevention, school-based supports, and culturally grounded services.
Multigenerational Caregiving and the “Sandwich Generation”
Women are increasingly navigating three-generation caregiving responsibilities. Across the five counties:
83,857
GRANDPARENTS LIVE
WITH GRANDCHILDREN
30-40%
SERVE AS PRIMARY
CAREGIVERS
66-74%
OF THOSE CAREGIVERS
ARE WOMEN
Nationally, 29% of caregivers belong to the “sandwich generation,” caring for both children and aging adults, and 60% of them are women. Caregiving without economic or structural support leads to chronic stress and burnout.
Mental health strategies must reflect the realities of multigenerational households.
AWF's Approach
From Research to Systems Change
As a philanthropic leader, the Atlanta Women’s Foundation directs funding toward evidence-informed solutions that strengthen families, stabilize communities, and address the structural drivers of mental health inequities.
When women and girls thrive, families and communities grow stronger. Through research, investment, and partnership, the Atlanta Women’s Foundation is committed to turning insight into lasting change across metro Atlanta. Because when women and girls thrive, families thrive. Communities thrive. We all thrive.
Addressing these challenges requires coordinated investment, data-informed strategies, and partnerships across sectors. Here’s an inside look at our process:
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
AWF gathers and analyzes local data to identify root causes, disparities, and emerging needs. Research informs every stage of decision-making, ensuring investments are responsive and evidence-based.
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT
Funding decisions are guided by research findings and focused on organizations that demonstrate measurable outcomes in:
- Mental and physical health
- Housing stability
- Economic security
- Education and life skills development
AWF also invests in nonprofit capacity as we recognize that strong organizations are essential to sustainable impact.
SYSTEMS CHANGE
SYSTEMS CHANGE
By aligning research, funding, and partnerships, AWF works to influence systems. This includes supporting policy-adjacent work, cross-sector collaboration, and long-term solutions that reduce reliance on crisis intervention. Since 2015, we’ve awarded $1,015,000 to local nonprofit organizations providing mental and behavioral health services to women and girls impacted by poverty.
Leadership Perspective
Atlanta Women’s Foundation leadership reflects on what these findings mean for the future of mental health and well-being in metro Atlanta.
“Mental health is inseparable from economic stability, housing security, and the systems that shape daily life. This research reinforces what many women already know: well-being cannot improve without addressing the structural challenges families face. Our role at the Atlanta Women’s Foundation is to turn research into action — mobilizing resources and partnerships that strengthen mental health outcomes for women, girls, and families across metro Atlanta.”
Kari B. Love, Chief Executive Officer, Atlanta Women’s Foundation
“What we heard consistently from nonprofit providers across metro Atlanta is that mental health challenges rarely exist on their own. Families are navigating housing instability, childcare gaps, transportation barriers, and financial stress at the same time they are seeking support. When systems are fragmented, women are forced to carry the burden of navigating them alone. Our research helps illuminate these realities so we can invest in solutions that are integrated, culturally responsive, and designed around the needs of families.”
DiShonda Hughes, Chief Mission Officer
