Georgia (2024)

As rents increase across the state, some South Georgia residents are experiencing delays in receiving rental assistance. The South Georgia Partnership to End Homelessness is overwhelmed with people seeking help with filing for assistance with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Unlike in many metro areas, rental assistance in South Georgia is processed through the backlogged state system – not through a city or county agency – leading to delays and evictions.

DeKalb County announced on June 7 that it has received an additional $25 million in federal emergency rental assistance funds, which will allow the county to reopen applications for its Tenant-Landlord Assistance Program.

Updated on June 14, 2022

Cobb County announced on April 13 the availability of nearly $7 million in additional emergency rental assistance (ERA2) funds. The county’s nonprofit partners have reopened their application portals and phone lines.

Updated May 23, 2022

The Washington Post reports that management of the Brooks Crossing apartments – a 224-unit complex in the Atlanta area – has filed 427 evictions against its tenants since April 2020. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis announced in July 2020 an investigation into why Brooks Crossing’s management company, the Florida-based Ventron Management, and several other large real estate firms pursued evictions despite federal efforts, including the federal eviction moratoriums. While the CARES Act eviction moratorium was in effect, Ventron filed 99 evictions against tenants of Brooks Crossing.

Dekalb County saw 945 evictions filed from December 12-18 – the steepest increase in eviction filings in the five-county Atlanta area. The county was granted an additional $14.8 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) funds to reopen the Tenant Landlord Assistance Coalition. When the program stopped accepting applications last month, there were about 5,700 outstanding applications.

Updated on January 28, 2022

The Georgia Recorder discusses the shortcomings of Georgia’s emergency rental assistance (ERA) program. Georgia’s 9% ERA distribution rate through September was far below the 30% threshold set by the Treasury Department. In its ERA performance improvement plan, Georgia outlined the steps it will take to speed the distribution of aid, including creating a more user-friendly online application portal, increasing community outreach, and streamlining the application process. Georgia is transferring $74 million in ERA to four local rental assistance programs that have distributed their entire ERA1 allocation.

Updated on December 20, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports evictions across Georgia are increasing as the state’s distribution of emergency rental assistance (ERA) lags behind 38 states and D.C. in the amount disbursed. In the three months since the federal eviction moratorium ended, evictions in Georgia have averaged about 10,000 each month.

According to the Savannah Morning News, over 2,000 evictions have been filed in Chatham County since the federal eviction moratorium ended on August 27. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, all 14 renters who received eviction notices owed less than $3,000.

The Associated Press reports Georgia officials administering emergency rental assistance (ERA) submitted a program improvement plan to the Treasury Department outlining steps it will take to distribute funds more efficiently. By mid-November, Georgia had distributed less than 10% of its $550 million allocation. NLIHC’s report on ERA spending singled out Georgia and several other states for their slow disbursem*nt of funds and large populations of renters. Tenants in Georgia report having difficulties reaching program administrators and facing onerous documentation requirements.

DeKalb County closed its rental assistance program to applicants on November 24. There were over 5,000 pending applications, all vying for the remaining $21.6 million set aside for the tenant-landlord assistance coalition.

Updated on December 13, 2021

Georgia Public Radio reports slower-spending states, like Georgia, were required to submit a program improvement plan to the Treasury Department by November 15 explaining how they will address barriers to distributing Emergency Rental Assistance funds. NLIHC’s new report says Georgia’s slow distribution of rental assistance is concerning due to the state’s large renter population.

Updated on November 22, 2021

According to the Georgia Recorder, nonprofit organizations working to keep Georgia renters in their homes say their efforts are being hindered by the inefficiency of the state’s rental assistance program and the lag time between application and response. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs plans to submit a performance improvement plan to the Department of Treasury by November 15 after the state’s program failed to meet the federal ERA expenditure deadline.

Updated on November 8, 2021

Nonprofits in Macon, Georgia are seeing a rise in homelessness following the end of the federal eviction moratorium. Service providers report an influx of families seeking shelter at the Brookdale Warming Center, and the United Way of Central Georgia reports receiving an increase in calls for housing assistance.

Updated on November 03, 2021

Axios Atlanta reports that as thousands of Atlanta residents face eviction, City Councilman Michael Julian Bond introduced a proposal that would provide eviction defense services to low-income tenants. As of October 1, there have been 17,552 evictions filed in Atlanta since the pandemic started.

Updated on October 25, 2021

The City of Atlanta and United Way of Greater Atlanta announced that the Emergency Housing Assistance Program reopened on October 4 to distribute an additional $12 million in federal emergency rental assistance. The program is on track to distribute all funds – totaling $15.2 million – by mid-October.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports on an increased number of evictions in extended stay hotels in Atlanta. Long-term residential hotels are often the only source of stable, safe housing for low-income people, disproportionately people of color, who would otherwise be homeless. The Atlanta Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Efficiency Lodge in Decatur after they forced tenants from the hotel. The lawsuit argued that because the residents lived there for months and even years, they should be given the same rights as tenants in apartments or homes. A Superior Court judge ruled they must be considered tenants under the law.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Henry County has spent $6.35 million in federal emergency rental assistance funds.

Updated on October 19, 2021

The Atlanta City Council approved on September 20 approximately $12 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA2) funds. The council also extended its contract with the United Way of Greater Atlanta to distribute ERA1 and ERA2 funds through January 31, 2022.

Updated on October 5, 2021

Eviction hearings resumed on September 10 in Macon Judicial Court. According to Judge Pamela White-Colbert, there were more than 70 eviction cases that day, with about 30 dismissals.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports DeKalb County has distributed nearly $8 million through its COVID-19 rent relief program. While this number is a fraction of the $21 million in federal ERA funds the county was originally allocated, officials say it suggests the pace of distribution has accelerated in recent weeks.

Evictions are now being enforced in nearly all countries throughout metro Atlanta. According to an attorney with the Housing Court Assistance Center at the Fulton County Courthouse, about 500 new eviction cases were filed in the county in the last week.

Updated on September 21, 2021

A pastor and his wife in Macon went door-to-door on behalf of the United Way to get the word out about available resources for people facing eviction. The United Way says more than 500 evictions are filed in Macon, and local homeless shelters are full.

Updated on September 14, 2021

The Chief Judge of the DeKalb County Superior Court signed an order Fridaystopping all evictions in DeKalbfor 60 days. The local eviction moratorium is the first of its kind in Georgia. NLIHC’s Diane Yenteltweetedthat other states, cities, and counties should immediately follow DeKalb County’s decision to enact local eviction protections.
Updated on August 30, 2021

NPR reports that DeKalb County’s emergency rental assistance (ERA) program caps payments for back rent at 60%, leaving many renters who are approved for ERA at risk of eviction because they remain behind on their rent, often causing their landlord to reject the ERA offer. NLIHC Senior Research Analyst Rebecca Yae says that capping payments at 60% is far too restrictive. “Of all the other programs that I've seen, this is definitely one of the more shocking ones. This is extremely low, unfathomable; they really should be paying the full back rent," says Rebecca Yae.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium could potentially unleash a wave of pent-up evictions around Atlanta. Struggling tenants and advocates in Cobb County are calling on officials to do more to help keep renters housed. Activists say evictions are on the rise at Cobb County properties that accept housing vouchers.
Updated on August 3, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says housing experts are concerned about a deluge of evictions in Georgia when the federal eviction moratorium is lifted on July 31. Between April 2020 and mid-June of this year, over 74,000 evictions had been filed in five Atlanta counties. Many more tenants owe back rent, with estimates ranging from 184,000 to 353,000 Georgians behind on their rent.
Updated on July 15, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that DeKalb County has distributed only 3.5% of the $21 million it set aside earlier this year for emergency rental assistance. Advocates and some county leaders are asking DeKalb officials toreconsider their strategy andact withgreaterurgency.

Amid the pandemic,HOPE Atlantahas expanded services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. According to HOPE Atlanta, calls for housing assistance have tripled,and the need for food assistance skyrocketed 800%.
Updated on June 14, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that coronavirus relief funds have helped move 450 formerly homeless individuals into apartments, many with one-year leases. Another 190 people are set to move into homes within the next several weeks.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Georgia tenants can use an online portal to determine if they are eligible for the state’s $522 million emergency rental assistance program and apply to have up to one year of their rent covered.

Despite the federal eviction moratorium, tenants in Richmond County have continued to be evicted from their homes during the pandemic.

The Newnan Times-Herald reports that despite the federal eviction moratorium, some landlords continue to move forward with evictions. Chief Constable J.T. Moore created an affidavit that landlords must sign before the eviction takes place. By signing the affidavit, the landlords state that they are aware of the federal eviction moratorium and that violations of it can be punished by heavy fines. For many of the “writs of possession” scheduled with a CDC affidavit, tenants move before the physical eviction takes place.

There are 8,000 eviction cases pending before the DeKalb magistrate’s court, and untold numbers of tenants have been forced from their housing because landlords refused to renew their leases or because they were unaware of the CDC eviction protections. DeKalb received $21 million in federal rent relief funds, and two days after opening applications, at least 7,000 people had applied for aid.

Updated on March 31, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that six hours after DeKalb County opened applications for its new $21 million emergency rental assistance program on February 12, more than 2,000 individuals had already applied. The county also received 17,000 website visits, 3,7000 emails, and 350 calls related to the program. A group of court officials, Atlanta Legal Aid, the DeKalb County Marshal’s Office, Goodwill of North Georgia, and mediators from the Dispute Resolution Center are part of a coalition helping administer the relief program.

The Augusta Chronicle reports that thousands of Augusta families have fallen through the cracks of the federal eviction moratorium. The Richmond County Marshal’s Office served 2,357 households with eviction papers during 2020 in every month except April. Augusta-Richmond County Commissioners recently approved over $6 million in federal rental and utility assistance.

Updated on February 22, 2021

Fulton County is developing its plan to distribute the $18 million in rental assistance it has received from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The county plans to launch the rent relief program on March 1. DeKalb County will launch its $21 million rent relief program on Friday, February 12.

Updated on February 17, 2021

WABE discovered that several Georgia judges are refusing to acknowledge the CDC eviction moratorium in court.

Updated on February 08, 2021

As many as 160,000 households across Georgia could be at risk of eviction in January if the CDC eviction moratorium is not extended. Without significant rental relief programs, housing advocates worry that many renters will be left homeless when eviction protections are lifted.

Updated on January 15, 2021

WABEreports that the administration of Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is proposing reducing funding for an emergency COVID-19 rental assistance program by half – from $22 million to $11 million. Since the pandemic began, ten thousand eviction notices have been sent in Fulton County.

Updated on December 9, 2020

A group of tenants rallied on October 7 toprotest evictions and deplorable living conditionsat a DeKalb County complex.

TheAtlanta Journal-Constitutionreports an extended stay motel company with ties to former Governor Roy Barnes is facing a lawsuit after forcing several long-time residents to move out last month. Activists and former residents protested outside the Efficiency Lodge in DeKalb County as another wave of renters behind on their payments were told to leave. While not explicitly stated in the law, some lawyers arguehotels cannot and should not remove residentswithout going through the formal court eviction process. Learn more aboutwhy extended-stay hotel evictions may not be legal.

October 14, 2020

TheAssociated Pressreports a Georgia property owner is among those suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the federal eviction moratorium.

Updated on October 5, 2020

Nearly a dozen families residing at anextended hotel in DeKalb County were evicted, but the Housing Justice League and DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson report that anyone who has lived at the property longer than 90 days cannot legally be evicted under the federal moratorium. Commissioner Johnson noted that many people, including landlords, do not fully understand the CDC eviction moratorium.

Updated on September 15, 2020

The Georgia Recorder reports that eviction hearings are rising across Georgia after the supplemental unemployment benefit expired at the end of July and the 30 days’ notice of eviction required by the CARES Act ended on August 24.

WABE reports that as federal eviction protections have expired, tenants in metro Atlanta are feeling the effects.

Updated on September 2, 2020.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on August 20 that the city has allocated $22 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) to theAtlanta COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The program is expected to help more than 6,700 Atlanta residents with rental, utility, and/or security deposit assistance. Applications for the rental assistance program are now available at:https://relief.uwga.org/.

Georgia Public Broadcasting“On Second Thought” host Virginia Prescott spoke with housing experts to examine the state’s looming eviction crisis and the long-term impacts it could have on Georgia residents.

Updated on August 25, 2020.

More than 10,000 evictions have been on hold inmetro Atlantaduring the pandemic, but courts in DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton, and Cobb counties have either recently resumed landlord-tenant hearings or will resume hearings in the coming days. Fulton, usually considered Georgia’s busiest eviction court, has a backlog of over 9,000 cases and will hold virtual hearings, rather than in-person hearings, until at least November.

Updated on August 19, 2020.

WABEreports that while in Georgia many courts have paused in-person eviction hearings for the time being, thousands of evictions have been filed in Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties since March.

Updated on August 11, 2020.

Crossroads Community Ministries, an organization that operates like a post office for people who are experiencing homelessness and don’t have a permanent address, has continued to provide services throughout the pandemic. The executive director spoke with WABE about the challenges that the organization has encountered due to COVID-19.

Atlanta

TheAtlanta City Council approved legislation on June 15, directing millions of dollars in CARES Act funding to support people experiencing homelessness and prevent evictions. City officials are allocating $22 million for rental assistance to prevent evictions and homelessness. An additional $7 million will be allocated to provide care for people experiencing homelessness to mitigate COVID-19 effects. Read the legislationhere.

Updated on June 22, 2020.

The city ofAtlanta has acquired 250 hotel roomsto house people experiencing homelessness who are either older than 65 or dealing with underlying health conditions. The city is paying $3 million to lease the hotel rooms for three months until August 1, with approximately half of the funding coming from philanthropic dollars and half from emergency funding.

Atlanta hastested more than 2,000 people experiencing homelessness, uncovering approximately 30 new positive cases in shelters. The total number of people experiencing homelessness who have tested positive is at least 55 as of April 20.

Savannah

The Savannah Homeless Authority has partnered with the City of Savannah and Chatham Emergency Management Agency todeliver meals-ready-to-eat, or MRE’s, to the city’s more than 35 homeless camps Thursday morning.