While a tidal wave of evictions looms large over metro Atlantans in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who recently announced she’s contracted the virus herself, is shooting to curb the number of people who are uprooted from their homes.
Author Archives: Sean Keenan
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A closer look at the “Blue Flu”: More than half of Atlanta’s beat cops missed work after ex-officer charged with murder of Rayshard Brooks
Soon after Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced felony murder charges would be brought against former Atlanta Police officer Garrett Rolfe, the man who shot and killed 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks outside an intown Wendy’s restaurant, most of the mobile troops on the city’s police force didn’t show up for their shifts.
Posted inSean Keenan
Edgewood Avenue businesses grapple with car clubs, tightly packed parties
Edgewood Avenue, historic Sweet Auburn’s nightlife epicenter has long played host to lively street parties that promise blaring music, fast cars and, sometimes, violence.
Posted inSean Keenan
A veteran of war and affordable housing advocacy, AH commissioner James Allen dies at 89
A passionate advocate for affordable housing and a staple of the city’s Westside communities, Atlanta Housing commissioner James Allen passed away Tuesday night at 89 years old, AH officials said during Wednesday’s board meeting.
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Construction barriers outside Beltline’s Southside Trail surprise motorist, causing pastor to crash
Virtually camouflaged by the shadows of trees hanging overhead, concrete barriers on United Avenue, near the Beltline’s interim Southside Trail, seemed to appear out of nowhere, a witness told SaportaReport after he watched a local pastor smash his car into the barricade.
Posted inSean Keenan
Police don’t need to join hands with protesters; they need to snitch on “bad apples”
On June 1, I penned an essay outlining my perspective on the first night of recent Black Lives Matter protests in Atlanta. Titled Atlanta missed the mark during the protests, but police and demonstrators can learn from the turmoil, the column appealed for unity between law enforcement and the people demanding accountability and justice for cops.
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Atlanta officials direct millions of COVID-19 relief funds toward helping homeless, preventing evictions
Nearly $90 million is bound for the City of Atlanta’s coffers to help officials combat the public health and economic side effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted inSean Keenan
Experts: Emergency response needed to combat “tsunami” of upcoming evictions
The heavyweights of metro Atlanta’s housing field say now is the time to brace for a torrent of evictions in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
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Report: Metro Atlanta COVID-19 data shows 63 percent uptick in new cases since week prior
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) recently launched a tracker that takes stock of the movements of COVID-19, the disease spread by the novel coronavirus, each week.
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Amid pandemic, Atlanta Housing chipping away at 24,000-person waitlist
Stacked with more than 24,000 people, the waitlist for voucher assistance from Atlanta’s housing authority is still plenty daunting, but Atlanta Housing (AH) officials — during a viral pandemic, no less — are still chipping away at the long roster.
Posted inSean Keenan
Atlanta missed the mark during the protests, but police and demonstrators can learn from the turmoil
Where we go from here remains uncertain, but there’s something comforting and promising about the prospect of an APD officer ditching their riot shield and gas mask and tear gas grenades to wield instead a picket sign emblazoned with “Black Lives Matter.” Until then, though, the morbid song of squad car sirens and clicking handcuffs shall ring too loud.
Posted inSean Keenan
Housing authority aims to convert historic Westside building into affordable residences
Atlanta Housing officials took steps on Wednesday that are expected to pave the way for a historic Westside building to be reimagined as an affordable housing complex for people experiencing homelessness, military veterans, and young people aging out of foster care.
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Fulton County again bumps residential eviction proceedings amid pandemic
On Wednesday, the Magistrate Court of Fulton County once again suspended, among other matters, residential eviction proceedings, a blessing for people whose living situations have been put in jeopardy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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TAD funding for affordable housing near Beltline could get a boost
Atlanta’s economic development agency, Invest Atlanta, could be directing more funding for affordable housing along the Beltline during the next fiscal year.
Posted inSean Keenan
Atlanta officials consider more than doubling development impact fees
Atlanta City Council leaders and other city staff are hashing out a plan to update the so-called “impact fee program,” which utilizes funds collected from developers and directs them toward public services, such as infrastructure projects.
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In Fulton County, eviction proceedings still on hold — for now
Fulton County officials have put a pin in eviction proceedings, keeping residents whose finances have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic safe at home. For now, that is.
Posted inSean Keenan
COVID-19 crisis spotlights importance of equitable transit-oriented development
Historically, affordable housing units in Atlanta have been concentrated in communities lacking in amenities like public transportation access, grocery stores and solid schools. The COVID-19 crisis has shone a glaring spotlight on the need to change that.
Posted inSean Keenan
Amid pandemic, city plan directs homeless sleeping at airport to supportive services
On Monday, the Atlanta City Council unanimously approved legislation that kickstarts a 60-day plan to curb the amount of homeless people sleeping at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and help them navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Pandemic could jeopardize funding for More MARTA, other transportation plans
The economic damage dealt by the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to continue to put a strain on government programs that were mapped out long before the world began slipping into a recession.
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How Atlanta Housing, partners roll with the punches of the pandemic
Like most companies and public agencies these days, Atlanta’s housing authority has been compelled to restructure its operations to cater to the global pandemic.
