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Plan to offer COVID relief funds to public safety officers for housing costs
City leaders want to spend some of the money from the American Rescue Plan to be spent on first responders. It'll go towards helping Atlanta police officers and firefighters to afford to live in the city.
ATALNTA - Some Atlanta City Council members are recommending using up to $500,000 in COVID relief funds to help police, fire, and correction officers with housing costs in the city.
"We hear from our public safety officials and officers all the time that many of them want to live in the city, but they’re priced out," Atlanta City Council member Amir Faroki explained.
And that’s why Farokhi says this rental assistance is so important. He’s one of the main sponsors of the legislation allotting up to a half-million dollars from COVID relief funds to the Atlanta Police Foundation for both rental and down payment assistance for first responders.
The goal is for public safety employees to live within their assigned police zones or close to their fire station or corrections facility.
"This makes it all more attractive to be a public service officer in the city of Atlanta. We think this will be a huge boon to recruitment and to retention," Farokhi said.
The money is set to come out of the American Rescue Plan funds originally provided by the federal government to cities, industries, and communities impacted by COVID-19.
"These were accessible kind of one time funds I think if the program is successful which we anticipate it will be we look to find permanent city funding in the general fund budget in ongoing years," Farokhi explained.
This comes as housing prices remain high in Atlanta after seeing one of the highest rent and mortgage increases in the country through 2021. Farokhi recognizes public service officials aren’t the only ones struggling but he said it’s still important to offer their support.
"We have like many big cities in the country a housing crunch…we need to be doing everything we can to increase housing supply in Atlanta," Farokhi said.
"But public safety is also top of mind for our city. We want to be able to recruit the very best to our fire, and police departments. And this is a tool we have and we should use it to do so," he added.
The Atlanta City Council is expected to vote on this legislation later in February.