Georgia

NLIHC has estimated a need for no less than $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and broke down the need and cost for each state (download Excel spreadsheet). 

In response to COVID-19 and its economic fallout, many cities and states are creating or expanding rental assistance programs to support individuals and families impacted by the pandemic, and NLIHC is tracking in-depth information on these programs.  

You can use the interactive map and searchable database to find state and local emergency rental assistance programs near you. You can also see the latest news on rental assistance programs through the state-by-state news tracker. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of all rental assistance programs as we continue to update frequently. If you are aware of a program not included in our database, please contact [email protected]. 

COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

Across the country, homeless service providers are struggling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to follow public health guidelines and help ensure people’s safety, some shelters are being forced to reduce services, restrict admittance, or close entirely. The loss of these critical resources puts people experiencing homelessness at even higher risk of illness. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of shelter closings.

Below is a list of shelters that have had to majorly alter services or completely close:

No information at this time.

The City of Atlanta and United Way of Greater Atlanta announced that the Emergency Housing Assistance Program reopened on October 4 to distribute an additional $12 million in federal emergency rental assistance. The program is on track to distribute all funds – totaling $15.2 million – by mid-October.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports on an increased number of evictions in extended stay hotels in Atlanta. Long-term residential hotels are often the only source of stable, safe housing for low-income people, disproportionately people of color, who would otherwise be homeless. The Atlanta Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Efficiency Lodge in Decatur after they forced tenants from the hotel. The lawsuit argued that because the residents lived there for months and even years, they should be given the same rights as tenants in apartments or homes. A Superior Court judge ruled they must be considered tenants under the law.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Henry County has spent $6.35 million in federal emergency rental assistance funds. 

Updated on October 19, 2021

The Atlanta City Council approved on September 20 approximately $12 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA2) funds. The council also extended its contract with the United Way of Greater Atlanta to distribute ERA1 and ERA2 funds through January 31, 2022.

Updated on October 5, 2021

Eviction hearings resumed on September 10 in Macon Judicial Court. According to Judge Pamela White-Colbert, there were more than 70 eviction cases that day, with about 30 dismissals.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports DeKalb County has distributed nearly $8 million through its COVID-19 rent relief program. While this number is a fraction of the $21 million in federal ERA funds the county was originally allocated, officials say it suggests the pace of distribution has accelerated in recent weeks.

Evictions are now being enforced in nearly all countries throughout metro Atlanta. According to an attorney with the Housing Court Assistance Center at the Fulton County Courthouse, about 500 new eviction cases were filed in the county in the last week. 

Updated on September 21, 2021

A pastor and his wife in Macon went door-to-door on behalf of the United Way to get the word out about available resources for people facing eviction. The United Way says more than 500 evictions are filed in Macon, and local homeless shelters are full.

Updated on September 14, 2021

The Chief Judge of the DeKalb County Superior Court signed an order Friday stopping all evictions in DeKalb for 60 days. The local eviction moratorium is the first of its kind in Georgia. NLIHC’s Diane Yentel tweeted that other states, cities, and counties should immediately follow DeKalb County’s decision to enact local eviction protections. 
Updated on August 30, 2021

NPR reports that DeKalb County’s emergency rental assistance (ERA) program caps payments for back rent at 60%, leaving many renters who are approved for ERA at risk of eviction because they remain behind on their rent, often causing their landlord to reject the ERA offer. NLIHC Senior Research Analyst Rebecca Yae says that capping payments at 60% is far too restrictive. “Of all the other programs that I've seen, this is definitely one of the more shocking ones. This is extremely low, unfathomable; they really should be paying the full back rent," says Rebecca Yae.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium could potentially unleash a wave of pent-up evictions around Atlanta. Struggling tenants and advocates in Cobb County are calling on officials to do more to help keep renters housed. Activists say evictions are on the rise at Cobb County properties that accept housing vouchers.
Updated on August 3, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says housing experts are concerned about a deluge of evictions in Georgia when the federal eviction moratorium is lifted on July 31. Between April 2020 and mid-June of this year, over 74,000 evictions had been filed in five Atlanta counties. Many more tenants owe back rent, with estimates ranging from 184,000 to 353,000 Georgians behind on their rent.
Updated on July 15, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that DeKalb County has distributed only 3.5% of the $21 million it set aside earlier this year for emergency rental assistance. Advocates and some county leaders are asking DeKalb officials to reconsider their strategy and act with greater urgency. 

Amid the pandemic, HOPE Atlanta has expanded services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. According to HOPE Atlanta, calls for housing assistance have tripled, and the need for food assistance skyrocketed 800%. 
Updated on June 14, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that coronavirus relief funds have helped move 450 formerly homeless individuals into apartments, many with one-year leases. Another 190 people are set to move into homes within the next several weeks.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Georgia tenants can use an online portal to determine if they are eligible for the state’s $522 million emergency rental assistance program and apply to have up to one year of their rent covered.

Despite the federal eviction moratorium, tenants in Richmond County have continued to be evicted from their homes during the pandemic.

The Newnan Times-Herald reports that despite the federal eviction moratorium, some landlords continue to move forward with evictions. Chief Constable J.T. Moore created an affidavit that landlords must sign before the eviction takes place. By signing the affidavit, the landlords state that they are aware of the federal eviction moratorium and that violations of it can be punished by heavy fines. For many of the “writs of possession” scheduled with a CDC affidavit, tenants move before the physical eviction takes place.

There are 8,000 eviction cases pending before the DeKalb magistrate’s court, and untold numbers of tenants have been forced from their housing because landlords refused to renew their leases or because they were unaware of the CDC eviction protections. DeKalb received $21 million in federal rent relief funds, and two days after opening applications, at least 7,000 people had applied for aid.

Updated on March 31, 2021

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that six hours after DeKalb County opened applications for its new $21 million emergency rental assistance program on February 12, more than 2,000 individuals had already applied. The county also received 17,000 website visits, 3,7000 emails, and 350 calls related to the program. A group of court officials, Atlanta Legal Aid, the DeKalb County Marshal’s Office, Goodwill of North Georgia, and mediators from the Dispute Resolution Center are part of a coalition helping administer the relief program.

The Augusta Chronicle reports that thousands of Augusta families have fallen through the cracks of the federal eviction moratorium. The Richmond County Marshal’s Office served 2,357 households with eviction papers during 2020 in every month except April. Augusta-Richmond County Commissioners recently approved over $6 million in federal rental and utility assistance.

Updated on February 22, 2021

Fulton County is developing its plan to distribute the $18 million in rental assistance it has received from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The county plans to launch the rent relief program on March 1. DeKalb County will launch its $21 million rent relief program on Friday, February 12.

Updated on February 17, 2021

WABE discovered that several Georgia judges are refusing to acknowledge the CDC eviction moratorium in court.

Updated on February 08, 2021

As many as 160,000 households across Georgia could be at risk of eviction in January if the CDC eviction moratorium is not extended. Without significant rental relief programs, housing advocates worry that many renters will be left homeless when eviction protections are lifted.

Updated on January 15, 2021

WABE reports that the administration of Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is proposing reducing funding for an emergency COVID-19 rental assistance program by half – from $22 million to $11 million. Since the pandemic began, ten thousand eviction notices have been sent in Fulton County.

Updated on December 9, 2020

A group of tenants rallied on October 7 to protest evictions and deplorable living conditions at a DeKalb County complex.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports an extended stay motel company with ties to former Governor Roy Barnes is facing a lawsuit after forcing several long-time residents to move out last month. Activists and former residents protested outside the Efficiency Lodge in DeKalb County as another wave of renters behind on their payments were told to leave. While not explicitly stated in the law, some lawyers argue hotels cannot and should not remove residents without going through the formal court eviction process. Learn more about why extended-stay hotel evictions may not be legal.

October 14, 2020

The Associated Press reports a Georgia property owner is among those suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the federal eviction moratorium.

Updated on October 5, 2020

Nearly a dozen families residing at an extended hotel in DeKalb County were evicted, but the Housing Justice League and DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson report that anyone who has lived at the property longer than 90 days cannot legally be evicted under the federal moratorium. Commissioner Johnson noted that many people, including landlords, do not fully understand the CDC eviction moratorium. 

Updated on September 15, 2020

The Georgia Recorder reports that eviction hearings are rising across Georgia after the supplemental unemployment benefit expired at the end of July and the 30 days’ notice of eviction required by the CARES Act ended on August 24.

WABE reports that as federal eviction protections have expired, tenants in metro Atlanta are feeling the effects. 

Updated on September 2, 2020.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on August 20 that the city has allocated $22 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) to the Atlanta COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The program is expected to help more than 6,700 Atlanta residents with rental, utility, and/or security deposit assistance. Applications for the rental assistance program are now available at: https://relief.uwga.org/.

Georgia Public Broadcasting “On Second Thought” host Virginia Prescott spoke with housing experts to examine the state’s looming eviction crisis and the long-term impacts it could have on Georgia residents.

Updated on August 25, 2020.

More than 10,000 evictions have been on hold in metro Atlanta during the pandemic, but courts in DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton, and Cobb counties have either recently resumed landlord-tenant hearings or will resume hearings in the coming days. Fulton, usually considered Georgia’s busiest eviction court, has a backlog of over 9,000 cases and will hold virtual hearings, rather than in-person hearings, until at least November.

Updated on August 19, 2020.

WABE reports that while in Georgia many courts have paused in-person eviction hearings for the time being, thousands of evictions have been filed in Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties since March.

Updated on August 11, 2020.

Crossroads Community Ministries, an organization that operates like a post office for people who are experiencing homelessness and don’t have a permanent address, has continued to provide services throughout the pandemic. The executive director spoke with WABE about the challenges that the organization has encountered due to COVID-19.

Atlanta

The Atlanta City Council approved legislation on June 15, directing millions of dollars in CARES Act funding to support people experiencing homelessness and prevent evictions. City officials are allocating $22 million for rental assistance to prevent evictions and homelessness. An additional $7 million will be allocated to provide care for people experiencing homelessness to mitigate COVID-19 effects. Read the legislation here.

Updated on June 22, 2020.

The city of Atlanta has acquired 250 hotel rooms to house people experiencing homelessness who are either older than 65 or dealing with underlying health conditions. The city is paying $3 million to lease the hotel rooms for three months until August 1, with approximately half of the funding coming from philanthropic dollars and half from emergency funding. 

Atlanta has tested more than 2,000 people experiencing homelessness, uncovering approximately 30 new positive cases in shelters. The total number of people experiencing homelessness who have tested positive is at least 55 as of April 20.

Savannah

The Savannah Homeless Authority has partnered with the City of Savannah and Chatham Emergency Management Agency to deliver meals-ready-to-eat, or MRE’s, to the city’s more than 35 homeless camps Thursday morning.

No information at this time.

Federal, state, and local eviction moratoriums are rapidly expiring and the CARES Act supplemental unemployment benefits will end soon; at that time, millions of low-income renters will be at risk of losing their homes. The NLIHC estimates at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance is needed to keep low-income renters stably housed during and after the pandemic. This tracker links to news reports of the growing evictions crisis in various cities and states. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of eviction updates.

The Georgia Recorder reports that eviction hearings are rising across Georgia after the supplemental unemployment benefit expired at the end of July and federal eviction protections expire on August 24. More than 10,000 evictions have been on hold in metro Atlanta during the pandemic, but courts in DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton, and Cobb counties have either recently resumed landlord-tenant hearings or will resume hearings in the coming days. Fulton, usually considered Georgia’s busiest eviction court, has a backlog of over 9,000 cases and will hold virtual hearings, rather than in-person hearings, until at least November.

Updated on August 28, 2020.

More than 10,000 eviction cases have been on hold in metro Atlanta during the health crisis, but courts in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties resumed landlord-tenant hearings this week. Fulton and Cobb plan to restart next week. Judges generally plan to start with cases that were filed before the pandemic hit but have not yet been ruled on.

Updated: August 12

No statewide order was ever issued. The State Supreme Court had tolled deadlines in pending cases from March 14-July 14 (allowing for local discretion). This extended the time limit tenants and landlords had to respond to eviction cases but did not prevent cases. All proceedings related to evictions have continued throughout the pandemic. 

Updated: August 1

In the third week of July, 28.3% of adults in Georgia reported they had missed their previous housing payment or had little confidence they would make their next one on time, according to a weekly survey conducted by the Census. In the same survey, 465,246 renters reported they had not paid their previous rental payment. 

Updated: July 29

According to a weekly survey by the Census, 1 in 3 adults in the state either missed their last housing payment or have little/no confidence of being able to make next month’s housing payment.

Updated: July 16