Homes for All Georgians

Introduction

Georgia is in the midst of a profound and pervasive housing crisis that touches every corner of the state and every segment of society. From the booming metro areas to the struggling rural towns, from the wealthiest suburbs to the poorest neighborhoods, the costs of housing are rising, the supply of affordable options is shrinking, and the stability and security of home is slipping out of reach for countless Georgians.

The statistics paint a stark and sobering picture of the breadth and depth of Georgia's housing challenges:

· According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (2021), Georgia has a shortage of 204,050 rental homes affordable and available for extremely low income (ELI) households, which are those with incomes at or below the poverty level or 30% of the area median income (AMI). 75% of ELI households in Georgia are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half of their income on housing.

· The state's median household income is $58,700, but the income needed to afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment at HUD's Fair Market Rent is $42,892. A minimum wage worker in Georgia would need to work 99 hours per week to afford that same 2-bedroom apartment (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2021).

· Over 40% of all renters in Georgia are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, leaving little left over for other basic needs like food, healthcare, transportation, and childcare. Among extremely low-income renters, the cost burden rate jumps to 83% (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2021).

· Georgia's homeownership rate lags the national average, at 63% compared to 64% nationwide. But this overall rate masks severe racial disparities - while 74% of white households in Georgia own their homes, the same is true for just 47% of Black households and 45% of Hispanic households (Urban Institute, 2021).

· At last count, over 10,000 Georgians were experiencing homelessness on a given night in 2020, a number that likely undercounts the true scale of the crisis. About 35% were experiencing chronic homelessness, meaning they have a disability and have been homeless continuously for at least a year or repeatedly over several years (Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2021).

These numbers only begin to scratch the surface of the human and social costs of our housing affordability crisis. Behind each statistic are countless stories of hardship and heartbreak, of families doubling or tripling up in overcrowded apartments, of seniors choosing between rent and medicine, of veterans sleeping in cars or on the streets.

The lack of stable, affordable housing undermines the health and well-being of individuals and communities in profound ways. It is linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes, lower educational achievement for children, higher rates of stress and domestic violence, and a reduced sense of social connection and civic engagement. It also exacts a heavy economic toll, in the form of lost productivity, increased healthcare spending, and reduced consumer spending and tax revenue (Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2021).

At the same time, the roots and impacts of Georgia's housing challenges are not evenly distributed. Like many other states, Georgia's housing landscape is marked by deep racial and economic inequities, the product of centuries of discriminatory policies and practices that have systematically excluded and exploited communities of color.

From the violent dispossession of Indigenous lands by white settlers to the brutal system of slavery and sharecropping, from the racist terrorism and property theft faced by Black families during the Jim Crow era to the ongoing legacy of redlining, segregation, and disinvestment, Georgia's housing story cannot be separated from the larger story of white supremacy and racial capitalism. These forces continue to shape unequal access to homeownership, credit, and wealth-building for households of color, as well as heightened vulnerability to displacement, housing insecurity, and homelessness (Rothstein, 2017).

At the same time, housing injustice in Georgia also intersects with other systems and structures of oppression and inequality, from gender and LGBTQ discrimination to the criminalization of poverty and the marginalization of people with disabilities and mental illness. Advancing housing equity and affordability in our state will require grappling with and dismantling these interconnected barriers and harms.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated and exposed these fault lines, with communities of color and low-wage workers bearing the brunt of both the virus's health impacts and its economic fallout. With an estimated 45% of Georgia renters having little or no confidence in their ability to pay next month's rent, and with temporary eviction protections and rental assistance providing an inadequate safety net, the pandemic threatens to unleash a tsunami of housing insecurity and displacement in the months and years to come (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2021).

Yet in the midst of this pain and upheaval, there are also glimmers of hope and possibility. Across Georgia, tenants are organizing against unjust evictions, nonprofits are innovating community-controlled models of affordable housing, and policymakers are advancing bold proposals to expand housing access and stability. The crisis is also sparking new conversations and alliances around the urgent need for systemic change, from housing justice activists joining forces with the Movement for Black Lives to demand the defunding of police and the reinvestment in communities, to the growing calls for a Homes Guarantee and a Green New Deal for Housing that would treat housing as a basic human right and public good (Partnership for Southern Equity, 2021; Housing Justice League, 2021).

These visions and efforts point the way towards a fundamentally different approach to housing in Georgia, one that rejects the failed model of market-based solutions and austerity politics in favor of a transformative agenda of decommodification, reparations, and a just transition. Realizing this agenda will require building a multi-racial, multi-generational movement that includes and centers the leadership of people most impacted by housing injustice, and that connects housing to broader struggles against racial capitalism, heteropatriarchy, and settler colonialism.

Daunting as these challenges may seem, Georgia also has a powerful legacy and living tradition of housing justice activism and community resilience to draw upon. From the self-emancipated Black communities who established thriving townships and cooperative farms after the Civil War, to the courageous organizers who waged the Albany Movement and the Atlanta Tenants Council rent strikes, to the public housing residents who are fighting to stop privatization and displacement today, Georgians have always found ways to resist oppression, reclaim land and housing, and build the beloved community (Keating, 2001).

This book seeks to honor and extend this tradition by offering a framework for understanding and advancing housing justice and equity in Georgia at this pivotal moment. It proceeds from the understanding that housing is a fundamental human right, not a commodity, and that the purpose of housing policy should be to ensure universal access to safe, affordable, stable, and dignified housing, democratically controlled by the people who live there.

Each chapter explores a key dimension of housing in Georgia, from the historical and policy context that has shaped current conditions; to the specific barriers and opportunities facing renters, homeowners, and the unhoused; to the potential for reimagining housing through the lenses of racial, health, and climate justice. Throughout, the chapters lift up the perspectives and solutions arising from frontline communities and grassroots movements across the state.

By providing a comprehensive analysis of Georgia's housing challenges and opportunities, and by amplifying the voices and strategies of those on the frontlines of the housing justice movement, this book aims to contribute to a broader vision and campaign for transformative change. The road ahead is long and difficult, but the stakes could not be higher, and the potential for creating a more just and equitable housing system in Georgia has never been greater.

The time for bold action is now. Let us work together to build a Georgia where everyone has a safe, affordable, and dignified place to call home, and where housing serves as a foundation for individual and community thriving, not as a source of profit and exploitation. The future of our state and our communities depends on it.