Grove Park residents are accusing a faith-based, affordable housing nonprofit of hindering Black homeownership in their community by buying up houses, refusing to sell them, and turning them into substandard apartments for rent. Grove Park Renewal’s stated mission is to “empower neighbors through quality, dignified housing.” Helping renters from the majority-Black, northwest Atlanta neighborhood become […]
Money
Posted inCity Politics, Jobs, Public Services
Atlanta’s City Planning Leaders Are Struggling to Hire People. They’re Not Alone.
Could change be in store for Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit system? At a recent budget hearing for Atlanta’s Department of City Planning, leaders discussed the program aimed at giving residents a voice in how policy decisions affect their communities. Leaders of the department — responsible for long-term planning of how the city will look […]
Posted inCity Politics, Economy, Jobs, Public Services
What We Heard at the Budget Hearing for Atlanta’s New Department of Labor
Workforce development leaders from the office of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens are making final preparations to open the first city-run Department of Labor and Employment Services in July. Last week, Odie Donald II, Mayor Andre Dickens’ chief of staff, laid out plans for the new department during its inaugural City Council budget briefing. Donald has […]
Posted inBlack Businesses
What Business Owners Want to See in South Dekalb’s Future
This story was originally published by Canapy Atlanta, a community-powered journalism nonprofit. DeKalb exists as two counties in one. North DeKalb flourishes with the ongoing development of high-end restaurants, shopping centers, coffee shops, and theaters. South DeKalb, on the other hand, has experienced stagnant growth for decades. The area’s majority Black population have few options for necessities, quality […]
Posted inBlack Businesses
Why These Black Tech Rivals Are Joining Forces
This story comes from our partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta-based Greenwood, the digital banking services company founded for Black and Latino individuals, announced Tuesday it has acquired Kinly, a rival fintech firm also aimed at serving Black customers. Both companies’ missions center around closing the racial wealth gap in the U.S. For Donald Hawkins, […]
Posted inMoney, Wealth Gap
Could Employee Ownership Help Narrow the Racial Wealth Gap?
This story comes from our partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more on the news, trends and events shaping Black culture in Atlanta, visit Unapologetically ATL. Nijil Jones is practically giddy taking a large cardboard box out of an industrial fridge. Inside the chilled box are what Jones calls the best pecans in Georgia. And Jones, […]
Posted inJobs, Money
More Green Jobs Are Coming to Georgia. Will Black Residents Benefit?
Qcells employee Kimberly Richardson is trying to help the South Korean solar panel manufacturer recruit more Black folks like her to work at its expanding factory in Dalton, — but there’s a problem. Less than 5% of the people living in Dalton are Black. Additionally, the city is located about 89 miles northwest of Atlanta, […]
Posted inHousing, Money
Black Airbnb Hosts in Atlanta Say City’s Short-Term Rental Policies Lack Clarity
For Nalah Garcia-Walker and her husband, real estate investing was their means of creating generational wealth. So when the couple decided to purchase their first property in Cascade Heights and convert it into an Airbnb two years ago, the decision was rooted in getting supplemental income outside of their day jobs. Garcia-Walker specializes in consulting, […]
Posted inHousing, Money
What You Need to Know About Short-term Rentals in Atlanta
With all the cultural attractions and sporting events Atlanta hosts each year, the city is a hot market for those looking to host a short-term rental as well as those looking to book their stay. There are more than 10,000 short-term rentals listed in Atlanta, including on Airbnb and Vrbo, according to Key Data. Whether […]
Posted inHousing, Money
The Rent Control Bill Stalled, but This Activist Isn’t Done Fighting
Margie McLeod spent Tuesday outside the Georgia State Capitol in downtown Atlanta trying to sway lawmakers to support a bill she already knew was unlikely to get signed into law this year. “I’m not the type of person to give up,” the 75-year-old community activist told Capital B Atlanta on Wednesday. “We don’t know what’s […]