Infrastructure

When a significant number of individuals and families are unstable, we will have unstable communities. Since taking office in January 2021, I have allocated a total of $425,000 in helping vulnerable residents who are on the verge of eviction or living in local motels to find more permanent housing solutions. 

Evictions have reached an all-time high in DeKalb County and are one of many factors that are contributing to the increase of homelessness. According to Atlanta Regional Commission’s Eviction Tracker, on January 1, 2022, there were a total of 2508 eviction filings in DeKalb. A year later on January 1, 2023, that number had increased to 3253. 

The sad reality is that, once a resident is evicted, there is a 7-year stain on their credit report that prevents them from leasing another home. Housing is a basic need that should not be unattainable to residents, especially for those falling on financial hardships that are out of their control. And further, being punished from obtaining housing for almost a decade is unconscionable. 

During a trip to Washington DC in 2022, my chief of staff and I spoke with officials at the US Bureau of Consumer Protection to discuss ideas on how to remove evictions from credit reports due to hardships that were caused by COVID. They informed us that this was an issue that they were looking into, but feared that the political-will may not be in their favor. As a result, my chief of staff met with Senator Ossoff’s office to float the idea to him to see if it would be an issue he would be willing to champion. 

Here at the state level, I proposed establishing a state-wide eviction resolution program that would include resources for landlords, tenants, attorneys, and service providers to assist in mediations. This program should connect participants to resources as needed, such as legal assistance for eviction proceedings, rental assistance, and rehousing information for individuals across the state. Representative Karen Bennett continues to work on this request and is reviewing the current  pilot program in Cobb County as a possible model. The more people we can keep in their homes, the more we decrease the homeless rate.  

Eviction Legislation that I Have Proposed

Homeless

March 11, 2024

When a significant number of individuals and families are unstable, we will have unstable communities. Since taking office in January 2021, I have allocated a total of $425,000 in helping vulnerable residents who are on the verge of eviction or living in local motels to find more permanent housing solutions. 

Evictions have reached an all-time high in DeKalb County and are one of many factors that are contributing to the increase of homelessness. According to Atlanta Regional Commission's Eviction Tracker, on January 1, 2022, there were a total of 2508 eviction filings in DeKalb. A year later on January 1, 2023, that number had increased to 3253. 

The sad reality is that, once a resident is evicted, there is a 7-year stain on their credit report that prevents them from leasing another home. Housing is a basic need that should not be unattainable to residents, especially for those falling on financial hardships that are out of their control. And further, being punished from obtaining housing for almost a decade is unconscionable. 

During a trip to Washington DC in 2022, my chief of staff and I spoke with officials at the US Bureau of Consumer Protection to discuss ideas on how to remove evictions from credit reports due to hardships that were caused by COVID. They informed us that this was an issue that they were looking into, but feared that the political-will may not be in their favor. As a result, my chief of staff met with Senator Ossoff’s office to float the idea to him to see if it would be an issue he would be willing to champion. 

Here at the state level, I proposed establishing a state-wide eviction resolution program that would include resources for landlords, tenants, attorneys, and service providers to assist in mediations. This program should connect participants to resources as needed, such as legal assistance for eviction proceedings, rental assistance, and rehousing information for individuals across the state. Representative Karen Bennett continues to work on this request and is reviewing the current  pilot program in Cobb County as a possible model. The more people we can keep in their homes, the more we decrease the homeless rate.  

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