ATLANTA — The Atlanta City Council voted Monday to donate $2 million to an eviction relief program for low-income residents, which will provide up to $7,000 of relief for households that make up to 60% of median income — about $62,000 for a family of four, or $43,000 for a single person.

Metro Atlanta reported over 144,000 eviction filings in 2023, according to the City’s website.

Star-C Corporation, the nonprofit receiving the funds, has prevented displacement for over 220 Atlanta households after receiving an initial $2 million from the City in October 2023, city officials said. The city says over 500 additional households have since applied for assistance.

“When you are already challenged financially, you are only one bad day or one serious health emergency from not being able to pay your rent or mortgage,” Mayor Andrew Dickens said in a press release. “Thanks to City Council’s support today for these efforts, we are now able to help even more families avoid worst-case-scenarios and keep the stability that housing provides for both them and our community.”

The money comes from the city’s $100 million housing bond, created in 2023 to finance affordable developments and preserve affordability of existing housing options.

The new $2 million will help the program minimize eviction filings, particularly for residents who suffer a temporary loss of income, according to city officials.

To qualify, households must face a defined hardship — such as income reduction, medical expenses or an emergency affecting transportation — in addition to income limitations..

Star-C raised over $12 million in eviction relief funds during the pandemic and has helped 62,500 families in 300 communities. The nonprofit has currently spent about $1.5 million of Atlanta’s earlier donation in its effort supporting low-income families.

The CDC temporarily paused evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic but lifted restrictions Oct. 3, 2021. During that year, around one in every five Georgia residents was behind on rent payments, a U.S. Census Bureau study found.

Dickens has made affordable housing a central plank of his administration, with a target of creating or preserving 20,000 affordable housing units by 2030.

Atlanta residents can apply for Star-C’s eviction relief program at select city recreation centers or through the organization’s online portal.

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