Georgia once boasted one of the nation’s most affordable housing markets. But as the state added new residents – there was a 96 percent increase with more than 5.2 million new residents moving into Georgia between 1980 and 2020 – the number of affordable houses did not follow the same pattern. Many experts agree that the state is now facing a housing shortage and housing affordability crisis.
Representative Spencer Frye, D-Athens, is looking for ways to address that housing crisis. Today, Frye will hold a press conference to talk about his proposed policies to expand Georgia’s housing supply and reduce the costs of homeownership across the state.
“Right now, thousands of Georgians are without homes,” said Frye. “Thousands more are living in overcrowded environments. Hundreds of thousands are paying 50 percent or more of their income on rent, forcing them to go without adequate food, medicine and clothing and leaving them nothing for retirement. There is no county in Georgia where a person working full-time at minimum wage can afford even a one-bedroom apartment with enough left over to live on.”
“There is only one way to solve this problem, and that is to create more cost-manageable homes,” he continued. “Standing in the way of us creating solutions are outdated and counterproductive laws and regulations, many of them intentionally designed to keep home prices artificially high, which prevents lower-income families from moving into neighborhoods, cities or counties. These regulations press the government’s thumb on the scale in favor of investors over families.”
Workforce housing and housing affordability have become buzzwords around the State Capitol this year during this legislative session. A number of bills addressing the issue have already been dropped or are expected to be dropped in the next week.
“The current situation is not only unjust, but it is also unsustainable and harmful to the economic and social fabric of our state. It puts all our children’s futures at risk and does grave harm to individuals and families all across Georgia every day,” said Frye.
“It is in our power to reverse the problem. We can immediately enact policies focused on the American Dream, rather than on hedge fund investors. We can create policies that put more doors in the housing market, leave more doors open in the job market and encourage sustainable construction. By adding more supply, we can provide housing stability for hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens. When housing is stable, we create community, productivity and socioeconomic opportunity for all.”
Gov. Brian Kemp has identified housing affordability as a key area for concern for Georgia lawmakers. During his inaugural address, Kemp said, “We must confront the need for workforce housing head on. Hard-working Georgians should be able to live in the same community in which they work. This is one of the biggest challenges we face as we work to maintain our rank as the No. 1 place to do business.”
Kemp’s budget package for AFY23 includes an allocation of $35.7 million to establish a rural workforce housing fund that is designed “to help local communities develop sites for workforce housing needs that come with major economic development announcements.”
