Atlanta

Atlanta Housing Authority cuts budget by $80 million

By WSBTV.com News Staff
By WSBTV.com News Staff

ATLANTA — Citing changes in federal funding, the Atlanta Housing Authority is reducing its new fiscal year budget by more than $80 million.

Atlanta Housing President and CEO Terri M. Lee said in a release the budget reflects the organization’s mission and momentum.

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“Even amid a shifting federal funding environment, this budget allows us to exercise fiscal discipline while remaining laser-focused on our priorities: keeping families housed, creating pathways to self-sufficiency, advancing our real estate pipeline, and sustaining the operational strength of this agency,” Lee said in a statement.

TRENDING STORIES:

According to budget documents posted by Atlanta Housing, their total funding in the 2025 fiscal year was $533.86 million.

The new one, approved by the board on June 25, was $453.28 million, a nearly $80.6 million drop.

The budget documents show reductions in housing budgets from three sources:

  • Housing Choice Voucher Funds Authorized: Reducing from $389.7 million to $338.58 million
  • Public Housing Operating Subsidy: Reducing from $9.99 million to $7.71 million
  • Capital Funds Program (CFP): Reducing from $29.8 million to $14.32 million

“The Housing Choice Voucher Program is a tenant-based rental assistance program, formerly known as Section 8. It helps low-income people rent ”safe, decent, and affordable dwelling units in the private rental market,” according to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

DCA says the program is the state-managed funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Similarly, the Public Housing Operating Subsidy is an Atlanta-managed subsidy provided by HUD to help local housing agencies cover operational and maintenance costs for public housing units.

The CFP is Atlanta’s Public Housing Capital Fund Program, which takes in grants for housing development and modernization from HUD.

Lee says the organization remains committed to “delivering for the more than 43,000 individuals who count on us every day.”

Among the plans for the new fiscal year budget, Atlanta Housing will invest in the following items:

  • Expand housing assistance: $274 million will support housing subsidies for an estimated 22,117 households – an increase of 262 households from the FY 2025 budget estimate – helping to stabilize housing for low-income families and those at risk of eviction or homelessness.
  • Creating and preserving affordable housing units: $104.4 million is allocated to the development of 1,383 new affordable units and the preservation of 1,136 existing affordable homes. It is estimated with the FY26 budget AH will reach 95% of its five-year goal to create or preserve 10,000 affordable units by the end of FY 2027.
  • Creating opportunities for individuals, families, and children to thrive: $1.9 million will fund human development services to empower residents through education, economic mobility, and wellness programs.

Additionally, the organization said they had achieved 72% of their goal to create or preserve 10,000 affordable housing units by 2027, with the numbers accurate as of May 31.

Atlanta Housing said they had helped more than 600 families attain homeownership opportunities and provided 5,533 seniors with a continuum of care to help them stay healthy, live independently and remain with dignity in their homes.

“This is a forward-looking, service-centered budget that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of thousands of Atlantans,” said Larry Stewart, Chair of the Atlanta Housing Board of Commissioners. “I want to commend our Audit and Finance Committee Chair, Duriya Farooqui, as well as the AH executive leadership team, for their disciplined and collaborative work. This budget continues our agency’s progress in revitalizing communities and expanding opportunity citywide.”

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