THIS WEEK IN HOUSING
The FIFA World Cup arrives in Atlanta in 60 days — and for the city’s nearly 3,000 unhoused residents, that countdown carries a different kind of weight. This issue, we look at what Atlanta is — and isn’t — doing to protect its most vulnerable before the global spotlight hits. We also have a significant federal court win to share, a bill heading to the governor’s desk that housing advocates are calling dangerous, and the latest on Mayor Dickens’ $10 billion neighborhood plan. All that, plus this week’s Heard on Housing.
TOP STORIES
As Atlanta prepared to host the 1996 Olympic Games, the city built a jail. The Atlanta City Detention Center opened in 1995, pitched as a pressure valve for the upcoming influx of visitors; Atlanta officials warned that the overcrowded Fulton County Jail would not be able to handle a surge in arrests.
With the FIFA World Cup fast approaching in June, Allen Hall, who’s experienced chronic homelessness, fears déjà vu.
The jails became homeless shelters. People packed wall to wall in cold, cramped cells, as the city showcased itself to the world.”
Allen Hall, 72 — Atlanta resident
City officials say they’re taking a fundamentally different approach — and aim to house, not jail, unsheltered people ahead of the World Cup. But Play Fair ATL and other housing advocates are not so sure.
Federal judge rejects HUD’s overhaul of homelessness housing grants — a win for Atlanta
Much to the relief of Atlanta’s top homeless services provider, a federal judge ruled last week that the Trump administration’s last-minute bid to dramatically rewrite the rules governing nearly $3.9 billion in Continuum of Care grants for permanent supportive housing was unlawful.
At stake for Atlanta was $14.5 million in federal funding that keeps 844 formerly homeless households housed. The city of Atlanta’s homeless services liaison, Partner for Home, uses Continuum of Care grants awarded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund permanent housing and supportive services citywide.
Partners for Home’s leader, Cathryn Vassell, welcomed the ruling, but noted that the legal battle isn’t over yet, since HUD is appealing.
Legislature passes ‘anti-homeless’ bill
A controversial bill that allows property owners to sue cities and counties for failing to enforce laws targeting unhoused people awaits the governor’s signature after passing the Georgia Legislature on April 2, the last day of the 2026 session.
House Bill 295 covers offenses like public camping, loitering, panhandling, shoplifting, and public drug uses — as well as non-cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Property owners can seek damages for lost property value or expenses.
Housing and civil rights groups warn the measure will force local governments to either criminalize being unhoused — or spend money on legal fees instead of stable housing and services for unhoused people.
HB 295 doesn’t solve homelessness—it punishes it.”
Adelina Nicholls, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights
📣 Your voice matters
If you feel strongly about HB 295 or any other bill that passed the Georgia Legislature, you can contact Governor Brian Kemp’s office to urge him to sign or veto it. The clock is ticking.
Cracks emerge in Atlanta’s TAD-extension push
An oversight board appointed by the Atlanta City Council has advanced Mayor Andre Dickens’ push to extend the city’s eight tax allocation district (TAD) timelines to fund his proposed $10 billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative.
Most of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative Commission’s recommendations focused on how to fund the ambitious plan. But two key commission members — Atlanta Public Schools board member Ken Zeff and Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett — declined to support a recommendation for the city to negotiate extending some or all of the TAD timelines until 2055. Since APS and Fulton contribute a combined 75% of the property tax revenue diverted into the TADs, they would need to approve TAD extensions.
Those tensions reflect an Atlanta Civic Circle investigation’s finding that Atlanta’s TADs have yielded vastly mixed results — fueling explosive growth and displacement in wealthier TADs like the Beltline, Eastside, and Westside, while delivering far less investment in lower-income TADs.
Here’s our full story on the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative Commission’s March 31 guidelines — and our deep dive into the pros and cons of using the existing TADs to fund Dickens’ 30-year neighborhood revitalization plan.
HEARD ON HOUSING
What early spring signals for homebuyers
“Mortgage rates bottomed near 5.95% early this year, pushing affordability to its best levels in four years and helping drive two of the firmest monthly home price gains we’ve seen in over a year. Even so, 99 out of 100 major markets still saw improved affordability from a year ago, and inventory continues to rebuild.”
— Andy Walden, Head of Mortgage and Housing Market Research, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), April 6, 2026
Read the full ICE Mortgage Monitor
Today’s newsletter was written by Sean Keenan and edited by Meredith Hobbs. Independent housing reporting takes resources. Help us keep digging.