An "attainable housing" summit is coming to Savannah. Here are the speakers and topics to expect

Evan Lasseter, Savannah Morning News
Updated ·2 min read
In this year's budget, aldermen and the mayor approved a record $19 million in funding to tackle the affordable housing crisis and issues of homelessness.
In this year's budget, aldermen and the mayor approved a record $19 million in funding to tackle the affordable housing crisis and issues of homelessness.

Housing Savannah Inc., the nonprofit providing policy direction for the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund, is launching an all-day housing summit Feb. 22 at Eckburg Auditorium on Savannah Technical College (STC) campus. Dubbed "There's No Place Like Home," the summit aims to convene housing experts and Chatham County residents to create a "pro-housing community."

The summit will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and comes as Chatham County searches for solutions to a housing crunch that entails about a 10,000-unit deficit amid projected population growth. Breakfast and boxed lunches will be provided. Those interested in attending the free summit can register at Housing Savannah's website.

Laura Lane McKinnon is the inaugural executive director of Housing Savannah, Inc.
Laura Lane McKinnon is the inaugural executive director of Housing Savannah, Inc.

"The goal of the event is to, at the end of the day, increase the supply, the pace and the volume of housing preservation and creation, said Laura Lane McKinnon, executive director of Housing Savannah.

Preview of the 'There's No Place Like Home' summit

The summit will feature keynote speaker Edward Erfurt, a 20-year urban designer and director of community action at Strong Towns. Strong Towns is a nonprofit that advocates for livable and inviting cities.

Erfurt made for a good keynote because of his knowledge of the Southeast, his proactive approach to housing and previous experience in the public sector, McKinnon said.

The event will also have a moderated panel with a host of community leaders such as Savannah City Manager Jay Melder, Chatham County Manager Michael Kaigler, Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce President Bert Brantley, and Housing Authority of Savannah Deputy Director Ken Clark. The panel will also feature a yet-to-be-named representative from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

The summit also has small group time scheduled, with "working groups" during the lunch hour devoted to specific housing-related issues facing the county. Topics for the working groups include transportation, infrastructure, housing stability and housing choice.

While the event will convene various experts and officials, Housing Savannah's leaders said they hope Chatham County residents will join too.

"The event is for you," said Christian Shellman, Housing Savannah's community development manager.

From analysis to action

A press release announcing the event said the summit will be a step towards moving the community from analysis to action.

Housing Savannah will take the various ideas and solutions discussed at the event and bring them back to its planning committee of about 16 community experts for review and refinement. The result of the process will likely be various policy initiatives for the nonprofit to take to the appropriate governmental bodies, McKinnon said.

She added, "We're working hard to find commonalities and build bridges."

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Housing Savannah leads summit with speaker from Strong Towns