Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has revealed his plan to support the unhoused in the metro Atlanta area.
Standing alongside city leaders and a formerly homeless Atlantan, Dickens unveiled a $200 million effort to create affordable housing in the city. He said that this move is simply proof of his promise to stay committed to building and preserving 20,000 affordable housing units in Atlanta by 2030, according to Atlanta’s WSB-TV.
“Affordable housing has been central in my administration and today’s announcement is a game-changer in our ability to have projects keep pace with a rapidly evolving market,” Dickens said in a statement. The investment is being deemed as possibly the largest single investment in affordable housing in city history.
The Atlanta City Council will vote on whether to provide an extra $100 million for the effort, paid with municipal bonds.
As it currently stands, $100 million of the funding comes from the Woodruff and Whitehead Foundations, with money being devoted to either building new affordable housing units or preserving existing public housing units, such as the Academy Lofts.
“A lot of these will be a combination thereof,” Dickens said. “Some will be 20% affordable, some will be 50% affordable. If they’re seniors, housing could be 100% affordable.”
According to the City of Atlanta, the potential funds will authorize an additional $100 million housing bond to support the following initiatives: expedite the development of affordable housing on publicly-owned land; preserve affordability where it already exists with infusions of subsidy to provide safe, dignified and high-quality communities; and secure additional funding needed to get “shovel-ready” projects under construction.
Joining Dickens for the announcement was a formerly homeless Atlanta resident named Tonette Freeman. Freeman, who along with her lae husband, was unhoused for the better part of 20 years before getting the chance to live in affordable housing provided by Academy Lofts.
She shared advice with those in search of housing. “Just keep praying and asking for help,” she said. “Help is out there.”
For now, it seems that help has, indeed, arrived.