HouseATL’s member driven Working Groups are essential to advancing progress on HouseATL’s strategic recommendations. To join one of the Working Groups below, please complete the membership application and indicate your Working Group interest.
If you are already a member, please email [email protected] and make the request.
Homeownership
The Homeownership Working Group is implementing strategies to increase affordable and sustainable homeownership in Atlanta for low and moderate income households, with a focus on Black and Brown families who have historically had lower ownership rates.
Past Progress: This working group has supported homebuyer education fairs, conducted presentations on affordable homeownership, educated existing homeowners via a HOME Expo, and connected real estate professionals to the Urban League’s new HUB (Homeownership Urban Blueprint). They engaged with the Urban Land Institute to produce recommendations for a common platform for home repair services. They also are supporting the creation of a toolkit for homebuilders who are interested in partnering with nonprofits to produced affordable homes.
Rental Housing Preservation
The Rental Preservation Working Group works to ensure that tools for preserving affordable rental housing are abundant and flexible, and thus residents, both owners and renters, find that existing affordable housing stock is available, safe, and well maintained as affordable long-term.
Progress: This working group has researched property tax exemptions for affordable rental housing, supported the redesign and expansion of the rental housing preservation database, and supported partners like Enterprise’s Preservation Next and the Atlanta Preservation Initiative.
Policy
The Policy Working Group coordinates efforts of various partners on state and local affordable housing policies and regulatory reform that will advance affordable housing and the strategic recommendations of HouseATL.
Past Progress: Provided testimony to state and local legislative committees. Issued annual comments to the state on the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Qualified Allocation Plan. Members achieved state legislative expansion of City Urban Enterprise Zone, state support for tax recognition of land trust properties, state healthy housing and safe at home legislation and DeKalb County support for a Housing Plan.
Prioritizing Communities
The Prioritizing Communities Working Group helps ensure that people who are low- and moderate-income in Atlanta’s predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods are able to prosper in place in face of the significant market changes around them.
Past Progress: Conducted extensive survey of service provider landscape and mapped emergency assistance resources. Convened service providers, assessed the need, and advocated for streamlined distribution of emergency assistance. Helped improve the City of Atlanta’s COVID recovery fund distributions for emergency assistance and the 211 system. Developed a report recommending further system improvements (View report). Informed ARCHI’s “Invert the Burden” initiative resulting in a common emergency assistance application portal. Supported Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation in the launch of the Housing Court Assistance Center followed by an access to legal counsel pilot. Developed tenants’ rights education information.
Funders Collective
Please visit this page for information on the Funders Collective and Pipeline Review Committee.