Category Archives: Affordable Housing

City of Atlanta Threatens Mattie Jackson, 93; Whole Peoplestown Block With Eminent Domain

mattie jackson torch

(APN) ATLANTA — One of Atlanta’s most revered community leaders–Mattie Jackson, 93–is in danger of losing her home to eminent domain as the City moves forward with plans to bulldoze two city blocks in Summerhill-Peoplestown in order to install stormwater detention ponds.   The stretches of Ormond Street and Atlanta Ave. in question were part of the Summerhill neighborhood until […]

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Atlanta Council Considers Affordable Housing Ordinance Drafted by APN Editor

(APN) ATLANTA — At the Monday, November 24, 2014 Meeting of the Community Development/Human Resources Committee of the City Council of Atlanta, a new proposed ordinance for Affordable Housing Impact Statements received a first reading. APN’s News Editor–the present writer–drafted the ordinance, in consultation with Chairman Andre Dickens (Post 3-at-large), as part of a law school paper, through Gonzaga University […]

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LGBTQI Youth Homeless Shelter Expands with Thrift Store, Housing Plans

 (APN) ATLANTA — The Lost-n-Found Youth homeless shelter founded by local activists and drag queens has expanded in recent months with a new thrift store and drop-in center, and is currently planning to expand their housing component.   Lost n Found was founded in 2011, with street outreach to “homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths to age 26,” as […]

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Sandy Springs Requires Council Approval for New Apartments

(APN) ATLANTA — On September 02, 2014, the Sandy Springs City Council passed an ordinance that requires all projects in the C1 and C2 commercial zone areas to be approved by Council before any permits will be approved through the city.     Prior to that, in July, the City of Sandy Springs had implemented a 60-day moratorium on apartment […]

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Atlanta Development Authority to Push Inclusionary Zoning in Atlanta

With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale   (APN) ATLANTA — At the July 21, 2014 Work Session on Affordable Housing, convened by Atlanta City Councilman Andre Dickens (Post 3-at-large) on behalf of the Community Development/Human Resources Committee, the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA, doing business as “Invest Atlanta”) announced its intentions to advocate for Inclusionary Zoning in Atlanta.     […]

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Hearing on Dispossessory Scheduled in Homeless Task Force Lawsuit

(APN) ATLANTA — In yet another abrupt about-face from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall, the judge has ordered a July 11, 2014 hearing to reconsider whether to grant leave for Premium Funding Solutions (PFS) to seek a dispossessory, or eviction, of the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, from the shelter they operate in downtown Atlanta, according […]

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Atlanta Council Prepares to Throw Away Civic Center, despite Thousands Displaced

(APN) ATLANTA — In what is likely to be another near-giveaway of taxpayer-owned property to developers, with no conditions attached, the City Council of Atlanta is set to vote on ordinance 14-O-1191, presented by Councilman Kwanza Hall (District 2), that will allow the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA, nicknamed Invest Atlanta) to preside over the future of the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta […]

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Possible Bribery of Atlanta Official Seen in Special Master’s Ruling in Task Force Lawsuit

  (APN) ATLANTA — A former Atlanta City Councilwoman who served as a Policy Advisor to then-Mayor Shirley Franklin may have accepted a bribe to help carry out a conspiracy by downtown business interests to attempt to sabotage the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, Special Master Frank Strickland ruled in an Order dated January 25, 2014, Atlanta Progressive […]

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Urban Institute Sees Deplorable Affordable Housing Crisis in Atlanta

  (APN) ATLANTA — The Urban Institute has released an interactive map showing where the nation’s affordable housing crisis is most acute.  Not surprisingly, Fulton and DeKalb Counties are among the worst, in terms of the availability of housing that actual people can afford.   The Urban Institute states:   “Many Americans struggle to afford a decent, safe place to […]

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GDOT Sends Bulldozers for 40 Homeless Camping Under I-75/85 and I-20

(APN) ATLANTA — On Tuesday, January 14, 2014, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) sent out two bulldozers to the underpass of I-75/85 and I-20 in order to eliminate around ten to twelve camping tents occupied by homeless individuals.     Atlanta Progressive News reader, and former candidate for Atlanta City Council Post 2-at-large, Weslee Knapp, observed the incident and […]

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(IPS) Still Learning Katrina’s Lessons, Seven Years Later

This article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/12/seven-years-after-katrina-preparing-for-the-next-disaster/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Dec 14 2012 (IPS) – Many residents are still rebuilding their lives seven years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Those who are able are looking ahead and organising so that they will be better prepared […]

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Atlanta: Affordable Lindbergh’s Last Stand

(APN) ATLANTA — A controversial rezoning proposal in Atlanta’s Lindbergh community, to be considered for the second time by the City Council of Atlanta on Monday, October 01, 2012, will in part determine the fate of some two hundred low-income families living in affordable multi-family apartments like the San Lucia Apartments near Adina Drive, Lindbergh Drive, Morosgo Drive, and Piedmont […]

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BREAKING: Simms Out at Atlanta Housing Authority

(APN) ATLANTA — Barney Simms, the number two smiling face behind mass demolition of public housing and mass displacement of low-income residents in Atlanta, is no longer working at the Atlanta Housing Authority, Atlanta Progressive News has learned. Simms began as a critic of AHA and went on to hold the position of Vice President for External Affairs, doing most […]

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Beltline TADAC Report: Refine Affordable Housing Program

(APN) ATLANTA — The Atlanta Beltline is not meeting its affordable housing goals and its affordable housing program needs to be refined, according to a report commissioned by the Atlanta Beltline Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee (TADAC), entitled Atlanta Beltline: Five Year Work Plan 2006 – 2010 review. The report is noteworthy because as previously reported by Atlanta Progressive News, […]

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(IPS) Empty Condos Hold Opportunity in US Housing Crunch

This article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/08/empty-condos-hold-opportunity-in-u-s-housing-crunch/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug 7 2012 (IPS) – Even as thousands of families in the United States remain homeless due to a lack of affordable housing, millions of units are sitting empty across the country, including foreclosed single-family homes, foreclosed or vacant condominium units or entire condo buildings, and vacant […]

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