City funds affordable housing initiative for first responders

On Monday, the Atlanta City Council passed a resolution authorizing $250,000 for the Community Safety Housing Program (CSHP), an affordable housing initiative for first responders.

This amount is in addition to a separate amount of $250,000 that was previously allocated in the 2025 budget.

CSHP provides rental assistance to firefighters, corrections officers and police officers. Participants must live within city limits and perform community service hours outside of duty hours. In exchange, they receive up to $850 in monthly rental assistance.

The program was funded in its first year as a pilot project with $500,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act. The city’s $500,000 allocation ensures the program can continue in the absence of additional federal funding.

District 2 Councilmember Amir Farokhi wrote the legislation and worked with the administration and nonprofit partners to design the program. He called the CSHP a policy victory on multiple fronts and a groundbreaker.

“This is a victory for affordable housing, community policing and public safety,” Farokhi said in a news release. “It’s a rare day when you can check so many boxes at once. This is a national model for attracting and retaining public safety personnel. It’s great for our city to be at the forefront here.”

The Atlanta Police Foundation administers the initiative. According to its chief operating officer Greg McNiff, the organization has been pleased with the level of engagement with CSHP in its first year.

“We are thrilled with the overwhelming response and engagement we have seen since the program launched,” McNiff said. “In our first year alone, we have provided housing assistance to 50 firefighters, corrections personnel and police officers. And the demand is so high that we have a waiting list that continues to grow.”

Farokhi says everyone was surprised by the immediacy of the program’s positive effects.

“I was optimistic that a housing program like this would make public safety careers more attractive, but I don’t think any of us expected to see such rapid results,” Farokhi said. “For example, we’ve seen a 15 percent increase in police recruitment and retention since we launched. And I think we’ll see similar positive trends in the corrections and fire communities as well.”