Local Community Initiative and HUD Address Affordable Housing Crisis in Cross Key Neighborhood of Atlanta

The affordable housing crisis was front and center recently as Cross Keys Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative (http://crosskeyssni.weebly.com/about.html) members in Atlanta along Buford Highway worked with HUD to develop an action plan to gain more attention concerning the growing absence of affordable housing choice in the community for low income families many of which are minorities. As development expands into the community many of the once affordable working-class developments have been razed or redeveloped into market rate units. With $950-$1200 a month average rent for a two bedroom and with average incomes 30% threshold for affordable housing equating to $640 a month for rent the prospect of finding and or staying in an affordable housing for working class families is significantly diminished.

"The affordable housing crisis is real and evident in larger communities but also in smaller communities such as the Cross Keys Neighborhood," said Michael German, HUD Georgia Field Office. "We are working with them and the City of Atlanta on innovative approaches we hope that will help preserve and increase the availability of affordable housing."

Local area leaders, faith-based organizations and non-profits, including Emory University Urban Development researchers convened in the Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) building to strategize on next steps in the action plan to build more awareness about the housing crisis.

This is an ongoing effort to develop an action plan that represents the major concerns of those in the area and present them in a way to those that they may be able to affect positive outcomes will decide to help, related Sarah Brechin, Program Director, CPACS.

The Cross Keys Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative is focused on place-based neighborhood revitalization initiative centered on the Cross Keys High School enrollment district (DeKalb County, GA), consisting of a resident-based Steering Committee while working with the local area convening agency CPACS and DeKalb County of Human Community Development. The Cross Keys neighborhood is a ten-mile by one-mile high school enrollment district that includes parts of the cities of Brookhaven, Chamblee, and Doraville, and unincorporated DeKalb County. The Cross Keys cluster was selected to participate in the DeKalb Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative (DSNI), which seeks to foster a collaborative, cross-sectoral, community-based approach to improving the quality of life of DeKalb neighborhoods.

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