Advocacy

The problem:

Economic expansion and increases in housing cost in Atlanta (especially in North Fulton County) has priced many families out of permanent housing, both buyers and renters. The generally accepted definition of affordability is for a household to pay no more than 30 percent of its annual income on housing. Families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care.

Even in the recent housing down the average sales price for a home in North Fulton in 2009 is around $390,000. To keep within a 30% of income, a family must make $104,000/year to afford the average home!

Teachers, firefighters, nurses, police officers, retail workers, bank clerks, and contractors are the backbone of our community, but cannot live in our community. This is our problem.

The solution:
Find a Way Home participates and provides support to all segments of affordable housing for families. These segments include Emergency Housing (short term housing for homeless families), Transitional Housing (subsidized rental housing for up to 24 months), and Permanent Housing (market rent housing and home purchase).

Find A Way Home has formed relationships with city council members, local companies, planning departments, developers, land owners, real estate companies, and housing authorities. We bring these groups together with our clients to help them to understand the necessity of preserving and growing the affordable homes in our communities — to help them understand that the backbone of our community needs a chance to live here.

Affordable homes can be preserved by company supported rental units, government grant funds for rehabilitation, and agency purchases of affordable homes. Affordable homes can be created through zoning density models that require affordable homes, redevelopment of existing affordable units, and public-private partnerships through tax credits. Find A Way Home lends its support to all of these endeavors.

Find A Way Home supports affordable housing clients from credit counseling to financial peace training to tenant placement to home furnishings to second mortgages to home improvements to the dream of home ownership.

Find A Way Home is Carrying the Voice of Affordable Housing.