Atlanta Housing Justice League Executive Director Alison Johnson expressed anger and regret on Monday after bills backed by her organization failed to advance before the legislature’s Thursday Crossover Day deadline. Failure to pass related bills in the state House or the state Senate by the end of Crossover Day means it’s unlikely Georgia’s legislature will pass […]
Housing
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy, State Politics
The Rent Is Too Damn High. Will Georgia Lawmakers Do Anything About It?
Black Atlantans and housing justice advocates have spent the past few years begging state lawmakers to do more to address housing-related issues like affordable housing shortages, rising rents, and low levels of homeownership among Black families. In response, Georgia Democrats — who had difficulty turning out Black voters in November — made addressing housing issues […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy
Why Affordable Housing Advocates Worry Atlanta’s Unhoused Population Is Growing
It’s been about three years since Janice Ruff reported her former landlord to the Atlanta Police Department’s housing code enforcement division for refusing to make repairs to her old apartment. That landlord received an estimated $3,500 fine, according to Ruff, who said he evicted her a short time later for having a “smart mouth.” She’s […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Housing, Politics & Policy, State Politics
How Georgia Lawmakers Plan to Address the Needs of Black Voters in 2025
Addressing Black voters’ economic concerns, including the higher cost of housing and child care, is among the top priorities for state Democratic lawmakers ahead of the Georgia General Assembly’s upcoming legislative session, which begins Monday. Democratic Party leaders in the state legislature, including state Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus, say their largely Black voting base made […]
Posted inHousing
Home for the Holidays: Former Residents of ‘Slum’ Housing Glow Up in New Apartments
The aroma of Fabuloso and other cleaning products brought smiles to the faces of Crystal Brown and her two young daughters on Saturday while they showed off their new two-bedroom home inside the Overlook Ridge Apartments complex in West Atlanta’s Harland Terrace neighborhood. The gated, luxury property features a sizable community pool, a fitness center, […]
Posted inHousing, Partner Content, Wealth Gap
Atlanta Ranked as Best U.S. City for Black Homebuyers
This story was originally published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. New research published earlier this month found Atlanta is the best city for Black people who want to get on the housing ladder. But it also reinforced findings on the gulf between white and Black homeownership in the U.S. The report published by Columbia, Missouri-based Mortgage Research […]
Posted inHealth, Housing, Partner Content
Extended-Stay Hotels Offer Relief From Homelessness, but Can Lead to Health Problems for Kids
This article was published by KFF Health News. STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — As principal of Dunaire Elementary School, Sean Deas has seen firsthand the struggles faced by children living in extended-stay hotels. About 10% of students at his school, just east of Atlanta, live in one. The children, Deas said, often have been exposed to […]
Posted inHousing
City Judge to Visit Fairburn & Gordon Apartments to Assess ‘Structural Integrity’
The Atlanta judge who has spent the last five months hearing how poor the living conditions are at the Fairburn & Gordon I and II Apartments complex in southwest Atlanta has decided to see the place for himself. “This [property] is a handful of decades old,” Municipal Judge Christopher T. Portis said Thursday morning during […]
Posted inHealth, Housing
Emotional Fairburn & Gordon Town Hall Spurs Look Into Owners’ Other Properties
“We’re human! The way y’all treat us?! [It’s] like we’re dirt!” Deborah Love shouted at one of the accused slumlord owners of her rundown apartment complex late Wednesday afternoon during an arranged town hall meeting in southwest Atlanta. “We have rights!” Love continued, shaking as tears streamed down her face. Other meeting participants and organizers […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy
Mayor Dickens Proposes $60 Million to Combat Homelessness
Mayor Andre Dickens’ proposal to invest $60 million into affordable housing seeks to address Atlanta’s ongoing housing crisis by building 700 new affordable units by the end of 2025. “This would be the single largest investment in homelessness in Atlanta’s history,” Dickens said Tuesday at a Woodruff Park press conference. Despite average rent prices declining […]
