National Affordable Housing Crisis

There is a national affordable housing crisis and 110 million Americans rallied in 46 cities on National Renters Day of Action to spread awareness. Here in Atlanta protesters gathered in Woodruff Park to march the streets of downtown.

The Housing Justice League had representative Sherise Brown, a woman of purpose, and Preserving Affordable Housing Community Organizer, along with colleagues, rallied over 50 people in support of the victims of the Atlanta Housing Crisis.The march to the Fulton County Courthouse and the County Commissioners office was led by Atlanta residents who have experienced the inhumane eviction process in Fulton County.

Through the sound of the wind, the shouts and the adrenaline, their cause was clear. “Housing Prices On the Rise! Renters We Must Organize!” The shouts of the many protesters echoed outside the Fulton County Courthouse.

To join the conversation on Twitter use the tag #RenterPower.

The group webpage tells us that: Atlanta is in a renter’s state of emergency. In Fulton county alone, the number of evictions has spiked to 500 per week. Judges for Fulton county are signing off on an average of one eviction per minute.

The Heart of the Cause

Meet Felicia one the many victims of evictions due to an abnormal rent increase that came with no changes in tenant amenities.

Going Forward

The protesters formerly call on the Fulton County Commission to take immediate action to change the eviction process in Fulton County.

1. Scheduled Evictions

As things stand now residents are subject to a knock on the door at any hour. Scheduled evictions allow residents the final reminder of the coming crisis at hand and gives them a last chance to secure their own belongings.

2. No Evictions After Hours

After hours’ evictions can leave families with nowhere to go, no truck to rent, no storage facility to move things into. The county shall commit to making evictions outside the hours of 9am-4pm.

“Housing is a Human Right, That is Why we Have to Fight”

3. No evictions during extreme weather

Do not perform evictions in freezing, raining, or 100-degree weather.

4. Costs paid by the landowner or a cap of public spending

The county must put a cap on what the evicted individual will pay to be evicted and encourage landlords to share the cost of the eviction. There is currently a huge business whose cornerstone of profits is derived from evictions.

5. Relocation and 30 days of storage for belongings

The evicting party should pay for property to be moved to a storage facility for at least 30 days.

6. Handle Belongings With Care

Often times people’s belongings are destroyed or stolen during the eviction process.Hopefully the Sheriff will facilitate stronger accountability for constituent’s belongings during the eviction process.

7. Referrals for Housing Services

Many facing evictions have now where to go. As a point of policy it would be fairly simple to provide those being evicted with a comprehensive list of service providers in the area. Often time’s people are given assistance finding temporary shelter for their animal but no assistance finding temporary shelter for themselves, this should change immediately.

Their next event will be another rally on October 4th at 12pm in Hurt Park. They’re calling on the youth, the future, local college students to take charge and rally with them on this day. For more information on upcoming events, to donate, sign petitions and show your support visit their webpage here.