Urban Land Institute Releases Study Highlighting Atlanta Housing’s Progress in Advancing Housing Initiatives

Results amplify AH’s transformative progress and impactful trajectory

ATLANTA, July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Atlanta Housing (AH) announced the release of a report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Services Panel, which provides an in-depth analysis of the housing authority and highlights Atlanta Housing’s significant progress and strategic vision to advance the city’s affordable housing initiatives. In support of AH’s plans for accelerated delivery of affordable housing in Atlanta through innovative public-private collaborations, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of AH Sarah KirschFormer Executive Director of ULI Atlanta and President and CEO of AH Terri M. Lee advocated for the ULI review to provide Atlanta Housing with a broad range of expert input and recommendations that will ultimately help AH achieve its ambitious goals.

“I am grateful for the rigorous steps taken by the Urban Land Institute to analyze Atlanta Housing’s strategic plan, our project portfolio and our overall operations,” said Terri M. LeePresident and CEO of Atlanta Housing. “Atlanta Housing must be known as an agency that embraces accountability, ownership, transparency and trust in everything we do, and this report is the culmination of an open examination of the inner workings of our agency.”

The report was developed by ULI members selected for their housing expertise who volunteered as panelists from across the country to help AH develop policy recommendations to improve the availability and quality of affordable housing in AtlantaThe ULI methodology combined significant stakeholder engagement on the ground Atlantaquantitative data analysis, in-depth interviews with key AH personnel, and case studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of housing in Atlanta and the city’s housing landscape.

“This collaboration with national experts in real estate, finance and land use accelerates our quest to continuously improve how we meet the housing needs of Atlantans,” said Atlanta Housing Vice President. Sarah Kirsch“The ULI study results show that Atlanta Housing is on the right track as we build and preserve safe, quality, affordable housing for our residents.”

Main conclusions and achievements

The report reveals that AH has significantly strengthened its collaborative efforts with stakeholders, including developers, community organizations and philanthropic partners. These partnerships broaden the resource base and demonstrate AH’s commitment to culturally and community-responsible housing solutions. AH also prioritizes engagement with minority- and women-owned businesses and developers. This includes minority participation mandates in all master development agreements, ensuring meaningful involvement in projects.

Results also showed that Atlanta Housing’s adoption of new financing models and self-development strategies led to more efficient use of resources and faster project execution. Specialized consultants and upskilling initiatives filled knowledge gaps in navigating complex financial structures. Most notably, the implementation of the project owner model streamlined project approvals and reduced competition for resources, accelerating progress in affordable housing development. AH’s people-centered approach was commended, with AH’s regular community engagement and public disclosure demonstrating that development processes are transparent and inclusive.

Stakeholders noted that AH initiatives now extend beyond housing to include education, health and economic empowerment, noting that collaborations with local colleges for continuing education, job training programs and health partnerships have been critical. The report also found that financial literacy training and community savings initiatives are helping residents achieve financial stability and self-sufficiency.

Look forward to

ULI Advisory Committee members concluded that Atlanta Housing is well positioned to continue delivering transformative and impactful developments in the affordable housing market, and provided strategic recommendations for continued progress. The ULI Committee also recommended enhancing internal financial modeling capabilities to optimize resource deployment, leveraging city resources and exploring new financing opportunities to ease financial burdens on AH projects, and prioritizing sustainability in all new projects, including requiring LEED certification for developers and construction teams.

The alignment between several ULI recommendations and Atlanta Housing’s work toward its 5-year strategic goals, launched in FY2023 and well underway, indicates that with continued innovative collaborations and strategic leadership, AH is poised to meet Atlanta The challenges of affordable housing are more acute than ever. For Atlantans struggling to find affordable housing, these results represent an opportunity for stability and hope.

“Atlanta Housing came to the table with key resources and excellent leverage opportunities, including land, investment capital and housing bonds,” said Tyrone Rachal, president of ULI Atlanta. “The findings in this report continue to build on Atlanta a robust housing ecosystem involving public and private efforts to address both Atlanta Housing’s plan to create and preserve 10,000 affordable units and the The city of Atlanta broader housing production goals. The ULI panel echoed Atlanta Housing’s sentiment that Atlanta “A multi-pronged approach is needed that transcends traditional funding models and emphasizes both community impact and financial sustainability.”

For more information and to access the full report, please click here. The full report is also available at ULI Search for knowledge platform.

For more information about ULI’s advisory services, click here. This panel is a partnership between ULI Atlanta and ULI Advisory Services, with support from ULI’s Terwilliger Center for Housing and the ULI Foundation. For more information about ULI Atlanta, click here.

ABOUT ATLANTA ACCOMMODATION

President and CEO Terri M. Lee heads the Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, Georgia (AH), the largest housing authority in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation. AH carries the prestigious Moving to Work (MTW) ​​designation and is an industry leader in providing and facilitating affordable housing resources for nearly 27,000 low-income households comprised of approximately 45,000 individuals through its AH-owned residential communities, tenant- and project-based vouchers, supportive housing, and down payment assistance, where innovation leads the approach to make the dream of homeownership achievable for more Atlantans. Atlanta’s housing programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Visit AH at www.atlantahousing.org or follow us on social media @housingatlanta.

ABOUT THE URBAN TERRITORY INSTITUTE

The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit, member-supported research and education institute. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities around the world. Founded in 1936, the institute has more than 48,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of the planning and land use disciplines. For more information about ULI, please visit uli.org or follow us on TwitterFacebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

SOURCE HOUSING AUTHORITY CITY OF ATLANTA