Atlanta Housing (AH) recently rolled out its ambitious Fiscal Year 2025 Moving to Work (MTW) Annual Plan, which details Atlanta Housing’s innovative solutions to local housing challenges over the coming fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The plan was presented in a public forum at historic Roosevelt Hall and in several prior sessions to the Atlanta Housing Board of Commissioners, staff, public officials, and stakeholder organizations. These informative briefings outlined the key elements of AH’s 5-Year Strategic Plan, short-term and long-term goals, and approved MTW activities.
The MTW plan briefings clarified how the agency’s vision, mission and work will continue to transform neighborhoods and empower people. AH’s vision is a city where all Atlantans have a place they are proud to call home. Aligned with Mayor Dicken’s goal of creating 20,000 affordable units, AH has charted a course to create or preserve 10,000 units by 2027. The MTW plan briefings highlighted an array of development, HomeFlex, homeownership and recapitalization projections which will amount to 2,569 new and renewed affordable units for FY 2025 with more than 800 new units to be created on AH-owned land at sites like Bowen Homes, Civic Center, Englewood, and Herndon Square amongst others. Several sites are also earmarked for infrastructure improvements to accomplish the agency’s revitalization and rehabilitation activities.The MTW plan also emphasizes how Atlanta Housing’s commitment to residents goes beyond housing, extending to education, employment, and economic mobility. AH’s youth initiatives like the Atlanta Achiever’s Program, the AH Summer Internship Program, James Allen Community Scholars Award, and Choice Neighborhoods Scholarship broaden the horizons for AH-assisted youth. Programs for working-age adults such as ACCESS technical education cohorts, workforce skills development training, and expansion of AHGreen training will help to prepare residents for in-demand, high-paying careers including those in the green and clean-energy fields. Atlanta Housing’s commitment to senior residents was underscored by the continuum of services to which Atlanta Housing connects elder residents, allowing them to live in their homes of choice, in health and dignity, for as long as possible. Crucial partnerships with local public and private organizations will continue to connect residents to these essential services, contributing to the holistic well-being of families.
The broad spectrum of families assisted by Atlanta Housing was made very evident in the briefings. 96% of households served by AH are considered very-low and extremely-low income, with 78% of those families making less than $30,650 annually. Yet, Atlanta Housing’s commitment to empowering families, from the city’s most vulnerable to those pursuing the American Dream through homeownership, was evidenced by the over 200 families annually who are awarded by Atlanta Housing with $20,000 to $25,000 in subsidy loans. The Down Payment Assistance Program (DPA) provides these subsidy loans to households meeting both the program and primary lender’s requirements (Learn More). The FY 2025 MTW plan revealed Atlanta Housing’s burgeoning Choice Neighborhoods DPA program plans for 16 subsidy loans of up to $60,000 for eligible, first-time homebuyers to purchase a home within the University Choice Neighborhood footprint adjacent to the Atlanta University Center.
From rental assistance to homeownership opportunities, Atlanta Housing is devoted to providing affordable homes of quality. The MTW presentation acknowledged that AH has deployed MTW flexibilities that set a higher expectation for units to be assisted by AH. These higher standards help to ensure that AH-assisted families receive high-quality units.
Atlanta Housing leaders welcomed and responded to questions from community members in attendance at the public forum and were prepared to address any online questions. As the public comment period for the FY 2025 MTW Annual Plan ends, AH was pleased to successfully unveil its vision of a city where affordable housing is a source of pride and opportunity for all in need. The multifaceted and collaborative approach outlined in the plan underscores AH’s dedication to opening doors to safe, quality affordable homes, building inclusive communities of choice, and creating opportunities for economic empowerment.
See the full Moving to Work (MTW) FY 2025 Plan HERE.