LOVEJOY, Ga. — Sen. Jon Ossoff and Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity announced new affordable housing neighborhoods in Clayton County.
The latest neighborhood is in Lovejoy, Georgia, on Rockspray Court. So far, 28 houses are ready to go, and 17 families are ready to move in.
One of the homes is set for Tanjills Sawyer. She talked about what affordable housing really means to her.
"It means that based on my income, that I could afford to pay the mortgage with no problem. I don't have to worry about buying groceries or gas," Sawyer said.
Those are the tough decisions Sawyer deals with every other week. She lives paycheck to paycheck -- always trying to make ends meet. She's a bus driver who spoke with 11Alive between shifts.
"I'm going back to work," Sawyer said. "I've got to take the kids home!"
Plus, Sawyer has kids of her own. Her rent payments weighed heavy on her.
"I was looking for a place to move because my apartment had gotten too expensive. I couldn't afford it," Sawyer said.
So, she started looking for a new apartment for her family.
"I was going to downsize," Sawyer said. "I was going to share a room with my daughter and let my son have his own room."
Owning a home was a pipe dream until opportunity knocked.
Sen. Ossoff said he recognizes affordable housing is a statewide problem.
"There's little more important than a safe, clean home for a family," Ossoff said. "And for too many families -- including too many families with children is just out of reach because of the cost of housing."
The new neighborhood is backed by $500,000 in federal funding. Sawyer will soon be moving into a new home. Ossoff announced the affordable housing project in her future front yard.
"I'm focused on expanding the availability of affordable housing in metro Atlanta and across the state. And today, announcing this major federal funding that I'm delivering to help build new affordable housing in Clayton County," Ossoff said.
A spokesperson for Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity said all of the houses on Rockspray will be under $300,000, and the loans will have zero interest.
It gives Sawyer the relief and reality that she didn't see coming. She only hopes more families can create the generational wealth she's starting now.
"Look at me," Sawyer said. "If I did it, you could do it."
Ossoff said this is only the latest neighborhood of this kind in the metro, with more to come.
For more information on the affordable housing initiative, click here.