EVICTIONS: From Bad to Worse
How do we stop the tsunami of impending evictions?
 

Wednesday, September 2 | 9:30 am - 11:00 am 

Housing Forum will be broadcast on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

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Prior to the onset of the pandemic, spiking rental rates had become an increasingly insurmountable obstacle for low-income families. In the last decade, rents in our region have increased by 65%, compared to a national average increase of 36%. Nearly half of all households in the City of Atlanta and nearly one in three households in the region are housing cost-burdened. Making matters worse, unemployment levels have soared, placing as many as 28 million families nationally in immediate jeopardy of eviction - including families in Georgia, which has 16 cities in the top 100 for eviction rates. 
 
After a brief period of moratoriums, Federal, state, and local protections for vulnerable residents impacted by the COVID pandemic are expiring and courts are beginning to resume eviction proceedings. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it is estimated that more than 40% of renters in Georgia could be at risk of eviction. The same data suggest that Black and Hispanic communities will be disproportionately affected. 

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The problem is also troubling for landlords, especially those providing affordable rental options, as their mortgages on the rental properties are in danger of being foreclosed. 

Philanthropic organizations in metro Atlanta and beyond were quick to establish funding to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, including some rent relief measures. But the problem will soon far outpace any current philanthropic funding.

For impacted families, evictions cause more than a temporary state of housing instability. Matthew Desmond, the author of “Evicted,” notes that “families who are evicted regularly lose their possessions, lose their jobs, and experience higher rates of depression. For children, the instability caused by eviction can result in worse outcomes in education, health, and future earnings.”

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Where are the hot spots in our region where evictions are most likely to swell? What steps need to be taken to stop a wave of evictions that will uproot families and render thousands homeless? What the best local and national best practices for eviction relief efforts? How can we encourage collaboration between private and public sectors to tackle this potentially devastating crisis?

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Join Housing Forum founder and moderator Bill Bolling for the September 2 virtual forum as we discuss these important issues. 

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Bill Bolling, Moderator, Founder; Atlanta Regional Housing Forum

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