06/20/2026
Last December, Bruce & Rhonda Deel received our first-ever 2025 Grand Merit Humanitarian Award!
Bruce & Rhonda Deel are the founders and CEO of City of Refuge, a transformative humanitarian organization based in one of Atlanta’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Over the past two decades, under Deel’s leadership, City of Refuge has helped more than 50,000 people escape cycles of homelessness, joblessness, addiction, and other crises by offering holistic support and solutions all in one place.
• City of Refuge provides a wide array of services, including transitional housing, on-site medical and mental health care, childcare, legal advocacy, and vocational programs in fields like automotive repair, culinary arts, and coding.
• The organization also runs specialized programs for survivors of s*x trafficking and domestic violence, offering a safe haven, recovery support, and direct intervention, in partnership with Men Opposing S*x Trafficking, another initiative founded by the Deels.
• City of Refuge is housed in a 200,000+ square-foot facility, enabling a true “one-stop shop” model so individuals can address multiple needs without traveling elsewhere.
• City of Refuge operates in the 30314 zip code, the area with one of Georgia’s highest crime, incarceration, and poverty rates.
• Deel’s approach is rooted in “radical trust,” believing that treating every individual with dignity and addressing all their needs at once yields transformative results.
• The focus extends beyond emergency aid to long-term solutions—education, job training, financial literacy, and community development—empowering participants to rebuild their lives and families.
• Collaboration is a hallmark, with the organization partnering locally and nationally to enhance resources in areas like childcare, wellness, and job placement.
