From CLPHA Board Member and Atlanta Housing President & CEO Eugene E. Jones Jr.'s op-ed in the Saporta Report:
This month, Atlanta Housing (AH) celebrates 85 years of housing Atlantans, and it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the organization’s history and its impact on the city.
Atlanta Housing was founded in 1938 by real estate developer Charles F. Palmer and President of Atlanta University Center Dr. John Hope during a period of intense social change in Atlanta and the nation. The Great Depression hit the city hard, and many families were struggling to make ends meet in a rapidly changing economy. Housing was in short supply for the working poor, especially for African Americans, who faced rampant discrimination in both rental options and access to mortgage lending. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) helped to make Palmer and Hope’s shared vision of irradicating slums in Atlanta and improving the living conditions of deprived residents a reality. Atlanta became home to the first housing projects in the nation in 1936 with the opening of Techwood Homes for white Americans followed shortly thereafter with University Homes for African American.
Two years later, the Atlanta Housing Authority was created to build upon the innovative foundation laid by Palmer and Hope. Initially, AH focused on providing temporary housing for families, including veterans returning from World War II. Over time, Atlanta Housing evolved to become a public housing authority, owning and operating thousands of units across the city. With the success of these communities–including Centennial Place, the first financially and racially integrated public housing development, built on the site of the former Techwood Homes–the nationally acclaimed “Atlanta Model” was born.
Atlanta Housing 85th Anniversary from Atlanta Housing on Vimeo.