Fayette County is not necessarily the first place that comes to mind when the plight of the homeless is mentioned.

But a 21-year-old student, who attended Sandy Creek High School, has decided that the homeless situation in Atlanta is worthy of him spending a month biking more than 3,000 miles from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles this summer.

Brian Selleck is currently studying international business at Georgia State University. For one of his classes, Selleck studied the homeless in Atlanta and was astounded by his findings.

"There's really a lot more than I thought and that's why I got involved with the Institute for Affordable Housing," he said.

The institute is based in DeKalb County and is a nonprofit agency that tries to provide permanent, affordable housing for the region's homeless.

"They really want to create a permanent solution to the problem," Selleck said.

The agency buys dilapidated houses for a small price and then renovates the houses using volunteer labor. The institute may have bought the house for $20,000, but by the time renovations are complete, the house could be worth $60,000, said Selleck.

So far, the agency has helped place 42 of Atlanta's homeless into permanent homes. But Selleck hopes that his endeavor will help even more of the city's poor be able to have affordable housing.

While many students will be spending their summer break by the pool or on vacation, Selleck is going to bike across the country to try and raise awareness of the homeless problem.

After people learn of the severity of the problem, Selleck hopes to raise $100,000 on his ride, through corporate sponsors and individual donations.

So far, he has received a cell phone and a laptop computer to communicate on the road and says he is hopeful a Web site will be established before he leaves June 1.

The site would allow interested folks to log on and gauge Selleck's progress as he pedals across the country.

The ambitious student is no stranger to long trips. A few years ago, he spent six months hiking the Appalachian Trail. This year's trip is far shorter, but Selleck imagines it will still be an adventure that also serves the purpose of increasing public awareness of a problem that he believes many people ignore.

"I did a lot of research and was amazed at how many of the government agencies pretend it doesn't exist," he said.

The avid biker asks his hometown folks to phone the Initiative for Affordable Housing at 404-299-9979 if they want to help with the innovative program.