On Thursday Sept. 10, over 120 Atlantans gathered in- person for the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum. A mix of developers, nonprofit leaders, corporate representatives, and advocates met at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church to grapple with a stark reality: homelessness is rising, families are struggling, and the housing crisis is deepening.
The event was moderated by Doug Hooker, former executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission.
The numbers alone are sobering. According to Partners for Home, there is a 14 percent increase in the number of families experiencing homelessness, and there is also an uptick in seniors experiencing homelessness. When many people think of homelessness, they often picture those living on the streets. The number of people living on the streets is actually decreasing. The issue of homelessness is more complex.
Melanie Kagan, CEO of the Center for Family Resources, emphasized the hidden side of the crisis. “About 50 percent from both of our school districts [in Northwest Atlanta], 50 percent of their identified homeless are in extended stay motels, which is really hard because they don’t qualify for federal programs,” she said. “We’re seeing [an] increase in families and cars and people leaving the area because they’re running out of options.” Many of those families fall outside federal definitions of homelessness, which complicates their ability to qualify for services.
The forum also featured a development and finance panel, which highlighted how recent federal policy shifts could shape affordable housing in Georgia.
One big change is the permanent “4 percent floor” for housing tax credits. In the past, the rate dipped with the market, making projects harder to finance. Now, with a guaranteed 4 percent, developers and lenders have more stability. “With the 4 percent floor becoming permanent, what that did was create stability… developers, bankers, all of us can make better choices, more informed choices,” said Kim Golden from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Another change lowers the requirement for affordable housing projects to qualify for federal tax credits. In the past, developers had to cover at least half of a project’s costs with special tax-exempt bonds. Now, they only need to cover 25 percent. That shift frees up resources and makes it possible for more affordable housing projects to move forward.
Richard Slaton of JP Morgan Chase noted that while this opens new opportunities, “the equity price of the tax credit… [will] go down, which could potentially cause a gap in a developer’s budget.”
Carol Collard, founder and CEO of CaringWorks, underscored the human cost. “We cannot effectively address mental health issues, physical health conditions or any maladies that someone is dealing with if they don’t have a safe place to put their head every night — that should not be hard for anyone to understand. And yet, here we are…there’s a meanness that we are unleashing and that we are normalizing that will affect us all.”
For Dwayne Vaughn, COO of Atlanta Housing, the issue is about more than nonprofits and public agencies. “This is not to sit on the sidelines and believe that this is only a nonprofit or a public housing issue. This is an issue as to…what is the quality of life that we want to have in the Atlanta metropolitan area.”
Panelists also spoke about what residents can do. “Be involved, be an advocate, be a champion, and don’t be quiet about it,” Kagan said. Collard was even more direct: “We have to give a damn — and encourage your friends, because you’re here, it’s fine.”
Conversations like these are a powerful reminder that the housing crisis affects us all, and the forum offers a rare space to hear directly from those on the frontlines. They are also an opportunity for residents, policymakers and business leaders to come together, learn from each other and commit to action.
That work continues in the months ahead. On Oct. 21, HouseATL and partners will host a conversation with author Brian Goldstone about the rise of working homelessness in America. And on Dec. 3, the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum will reconvene, bringing the community back together to spotlight solutions and share progress.
If you want to take action, learn more or get involved, these upcoming events are a great opportunity. Homelessness has a ripple effect, and we all can, and should, be part of the solution. Each of us has a chance to make a positive impact.
