Community Initiative Pushes for Affordable Housing Legislation in Athens-Clarke County
In a determined effort to address housing affordability, a local nonprofit is advocating for a new ordinance in Athens-Clarke County. The proposed legislation aims to provide renter protections and enhance local advocacy for affordable housing policies.
The Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, led by founder and Executive Director Mokah Jasmine Johnson, is spearheading the initiative. Johnson connects the proposed ordinance to a previously passed racial justice resolution that sparked controversy last year.
Johnson explained, “After they passed the resolution, we asked them is that [an ordinance] what y’all are gonna work on? And they didn’t do anything. So now it’s left on us, the community members that’s been working on this for over a year. The goal now is to put pressure on them, and hopefully they will put it on the agenda.”
The proposed ordinance, which has been presented to some county commissioners, seeks to establish renter protections, fund eviction prevention programs, and bolster local officials’ efforts to advocate for state-level policies such as rent control.
To bring this proposal to the attention of local government, the organization is gathering signatures for a petition. Johnson noted that they aim to collect over a thousand signatures, with the petition already in circulation since mid-January.
