The City of Atlanta is launching a new program to expand affordable housing options. It’s launching a new permitting process so projects can be built quicker.
“Right now, it’s very tough to find landlords that provide housing that is affordable, that have rents that can be covered by services or with their income,” said Elizabeth Banks, with Hope Atlanta, a nonprofit working to prevent and end homelessness.
The Welcome H.O.M.E (Housing Opportunity Moves for Everyone) program will expedite the city’s approval process for affordable housing developments. It applies to developers, non-profits, architects and affordable housing stakeholders.
The affordable housing project where shipping containers were converted into homes was completed in four months. Josh Humphries, Senior Advisor to Mayor Dickens, says in the past there has been no dedicated process, delaying projects for months and even years.
The Mayor set a goal when he took office to build 20,000 units of affordable housing in eight years in order to meet that we need to move fast. For too long it has been a government process that has been too slow.
