Georgia Field Office hosts Emergency Housing Voucher Listening Session

Georgia Field Office staff with various Georgia Continuums of Care (CoCs) and Public Housing Authorities (PHA) representatives.

While Georgia has issued over 1,100 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV), only 13% have been leased. To address this concern, the Georgia Field Office hosted an EHV Listening Session on June 14th. The purpose was to bring stakeholders together for an open dialogue on the challenges facing both Continuums of Care (CoCs) and Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) administering the EHV for the State of Georgia. In attendance were Jose Alvarez, Regional Administrator; Tiffany Cobb, Deputy Regional Administrator; Shea Johnson, GA Field Office Director; Adrian Fields, Director, Community Planning and Development (CPD); Robert Kenner, Director of Public and Indian Housing (PIH); and James Barnett, Division Director, Atlanta HUB Public Housing.

Session facilitators included Susan Brooke, Senior Portfolio Manager, PIH; Roxanne McIver, Program Manager, CPD; and Jason Becker, CPD. Some topics included barriers to the EHV programs, success stories of overcoming obstacles, and ways to increase lease-ups for the EHV program. Throughout the listening session, representatives from various CoCs and PHAs shared the different strategies being used to overcome some of their barriers. Karen Ramsey from Atlanta Housing Authority (AH) shared the importance of constantly communicating with CoCs, which has helped them elevate some of the AH challenges around the EHV program. Bethany Trapp, CoC, Program Coordinator from Augusta, discussed the shortage of one-bedroom units in her area, which was the concern for all the CoCs and PHAs on the call.

The meeting ended with Adrian Fields and James Barnett providing next steps for the program and closing remarks. Thanks to the robust discussions at the EHV listening session, the Georgia Field Office received great feedback and takeaways which included outreach to other existing/potential stakeholders, e.g. existing landlords, realtors; faith-based organizations, and corporate community partners. The office will also explore the possibility of looking at options for units within HUD Housing programs/inventory and identifying/offering incentives to the private sector to increase available housing supply and most importantly, discovering the negative perception of Voucher tenants.

"Providing affordable housing for Georgia residents in need, is a high priority for HUD," said Georgia Field Office Director Shea Johnson. "HUD will continue to work with Continuums of Care and Public Housing Authorities to break down barriers to increase lease-up rates in GA."

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