Although eviction moratoriums strive to keep people in their homes while they weather the storm of the novel coronavirus, the hard truth is that such efforts merely delay the inevitable.
Category: Sean Keenan
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Pandemic-afflicted households can claim thousands from Atlanta’s new rental assistance program
Nearly 7,000 Atlantans feeling the strain of the coronavirus pandemic could get help paying rent, utility bills or security deposits, thanks to a new partnership with United Way of Greater Atlanta.
Posted inSean Keenan
Report: It could take $91 million to fight Georgia’s eviction crisis
The cost to fight Georgia’s mounting eviction crisis likely exceeds $91 million, according to new research by the nonprofit Legal Services Corporation (LSC).
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Despite Confederate monument removals, debate over effigies in Georgia still red-hot
Georgia has exorcised some of its Confederate ghosts in recent years, although many still haunt the state’s public spaces, casting shadows in communities that have largely matured since the horrors of the Civil War.
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Atlanta leaders knock Trump’s seemingly racist remarks on housing policy change
When President Donald Trump dispatched an arguably racist series of tweets that he seemed to think summed up a recent change to national public housing rules, industry leaders and constituents alike let out a collective groan.
Posted inSean Keenan
Housing pros discuss rare silver linings of COVID-19 pandemic
Though the ongoing public health crisis has prompted pandemonium aplenty, the novel coronavirus also provides abundant learning opportunities for community leaders.
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Sandy Springs mayor urges landlords to nix late fees during pandemic
The mayor of Sandy Springs has joined the chorus of metro Atlanta leaders calling for help in the fight against a wave of impending evictions that’s sure to send a shockwave through communities near and far.
Posted inSean Keenan
Transportation officials install barriers on Edgewood Avenue to curb car stunts
Atlanta’s car-centric urban design might be contributing to the rash of stunt driver-style behavior on Sweet Auburn’s Edgewood Avenue.
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
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.
Posted inSean Keenan
Most of city’s homeless population has been tested for COVID-19, but more work is needed
Most of Atlanta’s known homeless population has now been tested for COVID-19, thanks to an initiative spearheaded by the city’s homeless services manager Partners for Home (PFH) and healthcare focused nonprofit Mercy Care.
Posted inSean Keenan
Activists: State must clarify restrictions on short-term rentals amid coronavirus crisis
On April 9, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order suspending short-term rental stays to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, a move that some activists worried could be detrimental for the many folks who find themselves in precarious living situations during the global pandemic — especially if the language of the order isn’t clarified.
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How Atlanta is testing, isolating its homeless population during coronavirus pandemic
The novel coronavirus outbreak has jolted Atlanta’s homeless population in a way not experienced by most of the city’s residents, sending indigent people scrambling for safe places to take refuge and smart sources of food.
