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 […]
Money
Posted inEconomic Justice, History, Politics & Policy
With Inauguration Day on MLK Day, King’s Family Reflect on His Legacy
Sitting in his Atlanta home office with his wife and fellow civil rights activist Arndrea Waters King, Martin Luther King III can’t help but reflect on a deep irony: Martin Luther King Jr. Day coincides with the second presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20. He worries about the fact that his father’s only […]
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 inJobs
The Push For More Black Pilots Gets Federal Funding Boost
Justin Mutawassim’s dream of becoming a pilot took flight 22 years ago when, at age 5, he stepped on a plane for the first time during a family trip to Disney World. “I just had a fascination with the airplane itself and how it flew,” Mutawassim recalled in a recent phone interview. That fascination took […]
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 inFood Access, Money, Wealth Gap
This Free Grocery Store Is Trying to Address Atlanta’s Food Access Problems
This story was originally published on March 2, 2023, and has been updated. Bankhead resident Jeff Jackson says accessing fresh groceries in his neighborhood has become more difficult over the years. Jackson recalls multiple grocery stores closing in the past decade. It’s why the Grocery Spot, the free grocery store where he volunteers and gets […]
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 […]