Atlanta tax relief initiative seeks to help senior homeowners avoid displacement

The City of Atlanta is again looking to bring some relief to its senior resident homeowners facing rising property taxes.

The Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund, which opened on May 1 this year, is an affordable housing initiative from Invest Atlanta and the City of Atlanta seeking to give homeowners with the highest risk of displacement due to relief from hefty property taxes.

Specifically, the program grants homeowners funds to cover increases in property tax above a base amount for up to 20 years. The program has $10 million set aside, coming from the Centennial Yards Housing Trust Fund.

The pilot iteration of the program launched last year, also with $10 million in funds.

In recent years, the City of Atlanta has become known for what some call gentrification and the displacement of legacy residents. The influx of investment in previously overlooked neighborhoods across the city has spurred economic growth of the city as a whole and helped the Metro Atlanta region to become the nation’s sixth-largest.

Increased investment has been followed by higher property values — generally a good thing for homeowners. These higher property values mean higher property taxes, however, and have forced longtime residents to make the decision to sell their home that has appreciated in value.

Whether the city’s population dynamics are examined over time through a lens of the once-predominantly Black city now hosting a smaller proportion of Black residents, or examined through the lens of once underinvested neighborhoods now being hot on the real estate market — like the Old Fourth Ward after the introduction of the Atlanta Beltline — most longtime Atlanta residents agree the city has undergone drastic change. 

The Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund is the latest effort to help stabilize homeowners for years, so the city can grow while retaining its longtime, often senior, residents.

Eligibility for the program includes:

• Be a City of Atlanta resident since 2015
• Be aged 60 or older
• Have proof of Ownership
• Have a household income of 60 percent AMI or be actively enrolled in qualifying homestead exemption programs
• Have no negative encumbrances attached to the property

60 percent of the area median Income (AMI) for a two-person household in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area is $54,840 — up from $51,600 in 2024; the 60 percent AMI numbers are $61,680 and $68,520 for a three and four-person households, respectively. 

To help get word out about the program, the city partnered with local Atlanta nonprofits Nehemiah Project, Rebuilding Together Atlanta and Meals on Wheels Atlanta (MOWA) to help get eligible seniors signed up.

Charlene Crusoe-Ingram, CEO of MOWA, which Invest Atlanta has worked with for many years, has served with MOWA for nearly a decade and said an initiative like this goes a long way in ensuring longtime Atlanta residents can stay in the city.

“Since we serve so much of the Westside, it made sense that we would participate and that citizens who believe they’re impacted would be able to come into our facility and sit with folks to complete their application,” Crusoe-Ingram said.

This is the second time MOWA has worked with Invest Atlanta on the program, but the first time they are helping to process applications on-site.The Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund is accepting applications through May 31.