After a federal moratorium on evictions came to an end this summer, evictions across the country are rising. The US Census Bureau says that while about 5 million Americans in their Household Pulse Survey were worried about making next month’s rent in September, that number has now grown to some 6.3 million people.
On the state level, Georgia has lagged behind most of the country in releasing federal assistance to renters. Last month, the state submitted a new distribution plan to the US Treasury Department, after distributing less than 10 percent of the $550 million allocated to it from federal sources.
Locally, ACC Commissioners spent much of the fall working on a county-wide eviction relief program, modeled after a similar effort in Gwinnett County. Earlier this month, the county government finalized a $2.4 million contract with Athenian First Development Corporation to administer the program, which would work with the Magistrate Court to provide back rent to landlords on behalf of tenants facing eviction.
