Housing activists march to Athens mayor's house, demand support for displaced tenants

Surrounded by two dozen other housing advocates on Friday, 58-year-old Lexington Heights resident Lisa Walker stood with her cane and a picket sign in Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz's front yard.

"We have nowhere to go," she said. "We have no homes."

Activists marched to the mayor's house to demand help for Athens residents experiencing housing insecurity. Tenants displaced by rent spikes in Lexington Heights, Highland Park and other working-class neighborhoods say that local officials have not done enough to meet their needs.

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Earlier that evening, Georgia House candidate Mokah Jasmine-Johnson held a news  conference with several displaced tenants. Though she was not present for the march, she called upon local and state officials to take further action.

"We need for our state officials to do something," she said. "We need for the local officials to do something, and just stop allowing ... the community to carry this weight on our backs."

'Give us the money and shut up'

Last summer, Prosperity Capital Partners, a Florida-based investment company, bought hundreds of affordable housing units throughout Athens. After the purchase, residents saw dramatic rent spikes and new restrictions on income and voucher acceptance. 

Those unable to pay are scrambling to find affordable housing. Some are facing eviction. 

"It was unacceptable enough before, but in the past few months since Capital Partners purchased the property, the disrespect has gotten even worse," said Highland Park tenant Kathryn Titus. "And there is no respect, you know. It's, 'Give us the money and shut up.'"

Local vs. state

Local officials have made some moves to support the impacted tenants. Several county commissioners have signed the tenants' demand letter. And last month, Athens Commissioner Tim Denson introduced a measure directing Community Development Block Grant funding to displaced tenants. 

But the key issue lies with state government. Georgia's ban on rent control allows landlords to raise rent prices with little recourse. Additionally, Georgia's Fair Housing Act does not list class or income as a protected characteristic. Landlords can reject applicants based on their usage of Section 8 vouchers.

As marchers made their way back to City Hall from his home, Girtz parked his car next to the crowd and greeted the demonstrators. 

Girtz said that if Athens issues rent control laws or introduces new protected characteristics, then the city will be in violation of state law. But activists pointed out that local laws have circumvented state law before, pointing out Athens-Clarke County's recent vote to decriminalize marijuana possession.

But new laws would not immediately help displaced tenants. Former Lexington Heights resident Lisa Walker is moving out of her apartment on Saturday due to the rent spike. She is unsure whether she'll be able to pay for the unexpected moving costs.

"I got to be out by tomorrow. I got two dogs. I got three months in a storage unit, it's $700," she said. "So I don't know where I'm going."

Jasmine-Johnson's campaign manager Imani Scott-Blackwell mentioned the tenants' relief fund, a crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs of moving and rent for displaced tenants.

A tense conversation

Girtz fielded many questions throughout a tense conversation. Walker and fellow housing advocates Barbara Daniel and Somia Collins told him about their struggles with securing help from county organizations. Meanwhile, demonstrators asked why he couldn't work with the county to protect low-income tenants.

"Cities across the state are all dealing with [tenants' rights]. I tell you that we're always going to be more powerful when you work with those folks, with those state laws," said Girtz.

As the conversation wound down, Girtz committed to soliciting a meeting with Prosperity Capital Partners. He also agreed to meet with state officials to discuss creating tenants' rights legislation. Collins and Girtz exchanged phone numbers, with the latter promising to get in touch with her by Oct. 3.

Whether these meetings will help displaced residents remains to be seen. But activists insist that if local or state officials cannot meet tenants' needs, community members will continue to step up.

"Not only am I in the community, I'm of the community," Collins said. "And they cannot shut me up."

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Facing eviction, Georgia demonstrators demand more from government