CEO Corner: Vote to Make the #CostOfHome Affordable

Dear Friend of Atlanta Habitat,

Atlanta Habitat is built on the foundational belief that everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to live. For 37 years, Atlanta Habitat has built attractive, affordable homes because rampant housing insecurity and discrimination are not new. For people of color and low-income families, discriminatory housing practices have roots that reach deep into our nation’s history.

As a community this year, we have faced a global health crisis and worldwide protests highlighting historic and systemic inequities. And still, in the midst of it all, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity continues to build on our legacy of helping to create the Beloved Community. This year has shown us that more than ever, home matters as does your voice and vote.

In this year’s national elections, there are local initiatives on the ballot that support affordable homeownership. We believe it is essential to keep homeownership affordable for working families who want and deserve the chance to purchase a home. In fact, through its #CostOfHome initiative, Habitat for Humanity has been actively educating the public about the housing challenges our country faces. Here a few sobering facts:

• In the U.S., one in six families pays half or more of their income on housing, forcing them to choose between keeping a roof over their families’ heads and sacrificing other basic needs like nutritious food, health care, education opportunities and transportation. In Georgia, that number of severely cost-burdened households is more than one in five
• The rising cost of land, lack of skilled labor, and burdensome regulatory restrictions have made building affordable homes incredibly challenging in many communities. Those costs get passed on to low- and middle-income families
• There is virtually nowhere in Atlanta, or indeed the entire U.S., where a full-time employee earning minimum wage can afford a decent two-bedroom apartment, let alone own a home, regardless of income stability.

There are two local questions on this year’s ballot that address affordable homeownership. Georgia House Bill 344 (Act No.149) exempts nonprofits like ours from paying property taxes on lots slated for affordable home construction.  This type of tax savings will help keep the #CostOfHome affordable for families. The Special Election for Homestead Exemption gives homebuyers a $30,000 homestead property tax exemption when they buy a house from a nonprofit’s land trust.

This election, you have the power to use your voice to educate others on Housing issues and encourage them to vote. We appreciate your partnership as we continue to build homes, transform communities and catalyze revitalization in our neighborhoods.

Sincerely,

Lisa Y. Gordon, CPA

President and CEO