Mariel Risner Sivley

Mariel Risner Sivley, Esq. joined St. Vincent de Paul Georgia (SVdP) in 2022 as Director of Housing, where she leads strategic partnerships and oversees the expansion of housing and homelessness programs, such as the Motel to Home program and the STABLE joint transitional housing/rapid rehousing program. She plays a key role in guiding SVdP’s affordable housing developments, including the organization’s first affordable housing property in Lakewood Heights, a historic neighborhood in southeastern Atlanta.

Mariel serves on the Advisory Committee of the Georgia Supportive Housing Alliance, a statewide initiative launched in January 2025 by the Georgia Supportive Housing Association (GSHA) and the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) to advance cost-effective, data-driven supportive housing solutions. Previously, she was the Executive Director of GSHA (2016–2022), which spearheaded the HousingFirst Georgia advocacy coalition and developed a training program on supportive housing. Under her leadership, GSHA received the Freedom Righter Award from Metro Fair Housing in 2021. In 2022, Mariel was honored with the LIHCA White Wolf Award by the Low-Income Housing Coalition of Alabama (LIHCA) and Collaborative Solutions Inc. for her dedication to ending homelessness.

Mariel began her career as an attorney with the Georgia Law Center for the Homeless, representing clients who met the HUD definition of homelessness. In 2012, she was co-recipient of a Distinguished Service Award from the Atlanta Bar Association. She has served as an Adjunct Professor in Public Interest Law at Emory University School of Law and as the volunteer coordinator for the Atlanta Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, advocating for residents in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and group homes.

Currently, Mariel is a Board Member of Better Living Together, a nonprofit focused on accessible and inclusive housing solutions with a focus on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and, she is an Advisory Board member of HouseATL, a cross-sector group of civic leaders committed to building the political and community will for a comprehensive and coordinated housing affordability action plan in metro Atlanta.
She holds a degree from Emory University and a Juris Doctor from Georgia State University College of Law. Mariel lives in Roswell, Georgia.