HouseATL

Join us for a free webinar on October 7th at 11:00 for a webinar on "Making a Home Livable for Seniors", the third webinar in our Homeownership Preservation series. The presenters for this session include Ingrid Thompson of Nehemiah Project Community Development Corporation, April Cline of Rebuilding Together Atlanta, and Marquette Key of Invest Atlanta. Attendees will learn about home modification and repair resources in metro Atlanta and how to access them. Registration is here: https://buff.ly/yjF1xrQ

This webinar is organized by our Homeownership Working Group, and in particular the volunteer leaders Ashley Edwards and Shanda Joy-Laws.

We hope you will join us on October 20th for our final Member Convening of 2026! Come learn about our 2027 state policy agenda and consider how you will engage. Get a preview of Clayton County's new housing strategy. And, make a nomination for the 2027 Affordable Housing Awards! Registration is here: https://buff.ly/eavZMaC. Additionally, we have a luncheon discussion opportunity - you can register here to stay with us for the Clayton County Housing Forum - https://buff.ly/Bnt1BA9. We will talk with Mayors in Clayton County about their implementation plans for housing and redevelopment.

An op-ed in Next City explores the interconnectedness of housing affordability policies and climate policies. "Together, the reality is that the climate crisis and the housing crisis are both converging in American homes – and together they are exacerbating unaffordability. Families aren’t experiencing these challenges one at a time. They’re experiencing rising rents, unaffordable home insurance, soaring utility bills, deferred maintenance, unsafe indoor air, longer commutes, and more climate-driven disasters all at once." The article advocates for, and gives examples of, integrated policies. It also emphasizes that repairing and preserving existing housing is often the most affordable and environmentally sustainable path.

Housing Stability Is Good Climate Policy Op-ed: The climate and housing movements often frame their goals as being in competition. But housing affordability and climate action reinforce one another when designed together.

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs is holding listening sessions on their 2028-2029 Qualified Allocation Plan for Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The third session is on Sept. 28th at 3:00 pm focused on preservation. Registration for this virtual session is here: https://buff.ly/KahHbwA . Information from prior listening sessions is here: https://buff.ly/71zEwrZ

Qualified Allocation Plans and Related Documents Qualified Allocation Plans and Related Documents

A nonprofit established in California in 2025 has just acquired 470 apartments in Lithonia from LivCor. Per Multi-Housing News, Bedford Affordable Housing Foundation (https://buff.ly/mvPpJ7s ) has partnered with the Housing Authority of Douglas County for financing. Presumably the apartments will now be income restricted, but that is not clear from the information available.

https://buff.ly/4qFJJJ2

Exclusive: LivCor Sells 2 in Atlanta for $84M LivCor has sold the 240-unit Sweetwater Creek and the 230-unit Villas at West Ridge, two communities in Lithia Springs, Ga., near Atlanta.

The SaportaReports describes how a development team managed to bring 448 new rental homes to the Greenbriar neighborhood of the City of Atlanta. The partners in the development include: Atlanta Housing, Zimmerman Properties, Summit Contracting Group, Wilhoit Properties, Invest Atlanta, Bank of America, Star-C, Emory University and Morehouse College.

Stone Hogan brings 448 affordable homes, and new pathways, to Southwest Atlanta - SaportaReport Read Stone Hogan brings 448 affordable homes, and new pathways, to Southwest Atlanta by Gabi Hart for SaportaReport here.

Our Policy Working Group has been busy getting ready for the 2027 state legislative session and continuing to advance city and county policy advocacy. At their recent meeting, Jessica Gill, co-leader of our local policy subgroup, recognized Jack Murphy. Jack has been co-leading the local policy work with much dedication for two years and is now moving away from Atlanta, sadly for us. Deborah Jackson will thankfully be stepping into the role. Kristin Allin, Co-Chair of the Policy Working Group, Mijha Butcher Godfrey, HouseATL Policy and Project Associate, and Jessica Gill presented Jack with a thank you letter.

The Georgia Recorder shares what state candidates are saying about institutional investors ownership of housing, including Josh McLaurin, Greg Dolezal, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Rick Jackson and Jon Ossof. Dr. Taylor Shelton emphasizes the extent of the institutional investor control and why it is an issue here. HouseATL's Natallie Keiser describes the importance of stronger tenant protections for rebalancing the market.

Curbing corporate landlords is now a bipartisan campaign promise • Georgia Recorder Both Democrats and Republicans running for higher office this year can agree on one thing: It’s time to address the rise of corporate-owned housing.

This article from Next City emphasizes how eviction filings contribute to student absenteeism and provides an example from Oklahoma on how schools and nonprofits are coming together to try to prevent eviction impacts. The article notes that, "In the Oklahoma City schools, 65% of students whose families received an eviction notice were chronically absent" and "On state assessments, students with an eviction notice or judgment had 25% lower proficiency rates in math compared to their peers." In a metro area like Atlanta that is a tragic national leader in eviction filings, it's important to remember how this impacts children and why we should be doing everything we can to reduce evictions.

Evicted Students Miss Class and Fall Behind. Tulsa Schools Want To Change That. Tulsa is one of several cities trying to combat the chronic absenteeism and poor grades of students facing eviction.