DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Starting Wednesday, DeKalb County residents can begin applying for a new program designed to help both people experiencing homelessness find housing and also prevent evictions for current renters and homeowners.
"The pain is spread is spread throughout the county. North, south, east, and west. We now have nonprofit partners who can now reach all of our communities to provide support and assistance," said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond.
According to Thurmond, that is why the county is launching the DeKalb County Integrated Community Care Initiative. This initiative will take $13 million in funding from the U.S. Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance program and divide it among nine local nonprofits.
The largest portion of the funding will be used for assistance with rent, utilities, housing instability, and unsafe, unhealthy living conditions. The seven nonprofits receiving that portion of the funding are:
- New Life Community Ministries, $2.8 million
- Urban League of Greater Atlanta, $2.8 million
- Latin American Association, $2.3 million
- New American Pathways, $1 million
- Jewish Family Career Services of Atlanta, $1 million
- Africa’s Children Fund, $1 million
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul, $1 million
The remaining funding will be used for housing stability services, including legal services related to evictions. Receiving that funding are two organizations:
- Atlanta Legal Aid Society -- $600,000
- DeKalb Pro Bono -- $200,000
To be eligible at least one person in a household must have qualified for unemployment, experienced a reduction in income, or have other financial hardship. Priority will be given to people who have been unemployed for at least 90 days.
Applicants must also show that they're homeless or have an unstable housing situation. That could be due to being past due on utilities, rent, or facing eviction, or because their living conditions are unsafe, unhealthy, or overcrowded.
The program also includes income requirements. Using data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, applicants must be considered low-income, and priority will be given to houses making less than 50% of the area median income.
According to 2024 data for Georgia, that means a single individual could make up to $32,200, and a family of four, for example, could make up to $46,000.
The county will start accepting applications on Dec. 4, 2024, and the program will expire on June 30, 2025.
To apply, residents must contact the DeKalb Integrated Community Care Initiative hotline at 404-371-NEED (6333) for guidance. The hotline will be open Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Calls received outside of those hours will be returned the next business day, according to the county. Residents can also contact the county at NEED@DeKalbCountyGA.gov.