The Founders of Sandy Springs Together, David and Melanie Couchman, attended “Defining Atlanta: Q2 Affordable Housing” an informative event hosted by the Atlanta Business Chronicle to explore the topic of affordable housing in the metro-region.
The event included panelists of private and public sector backgrounds. One of the panelists was Carol Naughton, pictured above. Carol is the President of Purpose Built Communities and served as a panel member for the event.
Panelists included:
- Ladson Haddow, Managing Partner, Haddow & Company
- Terri Lee, Chief Housing Officer, City of Atlanta
- Carol Naughton, President, Purpose Built Communities
- Egbert Perry, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Integral
- Moderator: Doug Sams, Commercial Real Estate Editor, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Some of the key takeaways from the event are:
- Of the 30,191 housing units that have been built since 2012, just 257 of them were deemed affordable by area median income (AMI).
- It’s going to take the public and private sector coming together to solve this issue
- The assignment of a Chief Housing Officer by the City of Atlanta is a great, and necessary, first step towards finding equitable solutions
- If you have a city that only works for the affluent, you’ve created a “Gilded Cage” — businesses don’t have employees, transportation doesn’t improve and personal services are unmet.
It’s clear that Sandy Springs isn’t alone in the fight for affordable housing. Across the metro region, more and more communities are struggling to fight the epidemic of rising costs, displaced families and betrayed families.
It is critically important for our community to bring equitable and inclusive housing solutions to Sandy Springs in the form of city policies that protect against gentrification. Sandy Springs Together will continue to educate our city, protect families and advocate for solutions that work for everybody, not just a few.
