Wave of Evictions Looms in Atlanta

On Tuesday, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced that an executive order which mandates public agencies put a hold on residential evictions and eviction filings would be extended through August 31.  

The move calls on Atlanta Housing, Atlanta Beltline, Inc., the Fulton County/City of Atlanta Land Bank Authority, Invest Atlanta, Partners for Home, and the city’s Department of Grants and Community Development to put the kibosh on eviction proceedings. 

Rick Rufolo, executive director of the nonprofit Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP), told SaportaReport in a recent interview that the metro Atlanta homeless population will likely see a spike as a result of the expected wave of evictions “unless we see a significant push in the development of more affordable housing.”

“This really is a story about understanding this underlying issue of first providing stable housing so that people can address the basic human needs that they need in their lives,” he said.

On July 20, many metro Atlanta courts are expected to restart eviction proceedings, at which point the wave is expected to crash. 

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