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Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) Aging & Independence Services Department, the Atlanta Area Agency on Aging (AAA), Strengthens Commitment to LGBTQ+ Older Adults through Continued Partnership with SAGECare

Atlanta, May 6, 2024 – The Atlanta Area Agency on Aging proudly announces its achievement of receiving a SAGECare Credential. This prestigious credential is a testament to the Atlanta AAA’s unwavering commitment to providing an inclusive and affirming environment for LGBTQ+ older adults.

SAGECare awarded ARC’s Aging & Independence Services Department with its SAGECare Credential after a rigorous assessment of policies, practices, and staff training to create an inclusive and welcoming space for all residents, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

“Thanks to SAGECare for providing impactful education and consultation, enabling ARC to better serve our region’s diverse older populations,” said Becky Kurtz, Managing Director, “Our SAGECare Credential affirms our commitment to serve LGBTQ+ elders in metro Atlanta with sensitivity and respect.”

Don Terry, Client Services Liaison added, “To help those we serve with purpose is to better understand the very people we assist.  Obtaining SAGECare credential is our commitment to ensure we’re being intentional in bringing qualities of understanding and inclusivity to everyone.”

The SAGECare credential process evaluates aging services organizations based on various criteria, including non-discrimination policies, staff training on LGBTQ+ cultural competency, community engagement, and resident support services. By meeting and exceeding these standards, the Atlanta AA has demonstrated its commitment to promoting a diverse and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ seniors.

For more information about SAGECare Training, visit here.

About SAGECare: SAGECare is a fee-for-service training and consulting division of SAGE (1978), the nation’s oldest and largest non-profit that advocates and provides services for LGBTQ+ senior adults. SAGECare provides LGBTQ+ competency training and consulting to service providers, fostering a more inclusive and understanding approach to aging issues within the LGBTQ+ community.

The post Atlanta Regional Commission Strengthens Commitment to LGBTQ+ Older Adults appeared first on Empowerline.

Housing prices? Yes, we’re still thinking about them. Thanks to a new dataset, we are able to continue our project of building home sale pricing dashboards for the 11-county metro area.

The trend of rising housing costs, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been well established. Prices for both new and older homes have been steadily increasing in many parts of the country. In the metro Atlanta area, these home price increases have been of different levels of severity, and are not uniform.

Last summer, we embarked on a journey to build interactive web applications visualizing historic housing prices by county in the metro area. You can find the collection of blog posts (and links to the web apps) here:

• Forsyth County
• Fulton County
• Cobb County
• Henry County
• Rockdale County
• Douglas County
• Fayette County
• Gwinnett County

This new dashboard for DeKalb County leverages a statewide dataset from ATTOM Data Solutions. This rich dataset contains record-level home sales which we have aggregated to the Census tract level, with transactions dating back to January 2020.

The dashboard (built for desktop, not mobile screens) can be accessed here, and we have included a screenshot of the dashboard below. It features an expandable left-hand side panel with a toggle for the dashboard variable: total sales, median price per square foot, and median overall price. Sidebar sliders allow filtering for transaction time frame, construction vintage of the home, and city/region toggle.

Findings

Here are a few pertinent findings highlighted by the dashboard:

• From 2020 to 2024:
  • 51,359 homes sold countywide;
  • the overall median sales price countywide during this time period was $285,000, while the median price per square foot was roughly $150;
  • the median sale price per square foot rose about 25% over this four-year period.
• Peak median prices occurred in June 2023, with a countywide median of $339,000 and $186 per square foot.
  • Countywide median prices have show distinct “peaks” around the middle of each of the past 3 successive years;
  • The most recent countywide price per SF, $159, is the lowest median since Q1 of 2023.
• Since just 2022:
  • Nearly 23,000 homes have sold countywide;
  • the overall median sales price was $307,000;
  • the median sale price per square foot was roughly $164 but has fallen by almost 2.5%.
• Homes sold in the Decatur/Druid Hills sub-geography from 2020 to 2024 featured:
  • a median construction “year built” of 1959;
  • a median size of 1,814 square feet;
  • a median price per square foot of over $250;
  • a median overall sales price of $485,000;
  • and a 10% increase in overall sales price over the past 4 years.
• Contrast the Decatur/Druid Hills sub-geography with the Stone Mountain and Lithonia/E. DeKalb sub-geographies, which between 2020 and 2024 featured:
  • a much newer median “year built” of 1990;
  • a relatively larger median home size of 1,916 square feet;
  • a much lower price per square foot of just over $100;
  • a media overall sales price of $214,400;
  • but a very robust 56.9% increase in median sales prices over the past 4 years.

Happy data exploring, and we hope you are enjoying this series of local housing dashboards around metro Atlanta!

The post DeKalb County Housing Dashboard appeared first on 33n.

In a joint venture, two Atlanta-based Housing Developers are partnering in the acquisition, renovation and re-stabilization of the Square at Peoplestown in the Summerhill neighborhood. The multi-million dollar project supported by Reinvestment Fund and led by two BIPOC-owned development firms—Atlantica Properties and Domos—represents a significant shift toward the preservation of affordable housing in the community.  

Mission-Aligned Developers Acquire the Square at Peoplestown  

Summerhill is located just South of Downtown Atlanta and is surrounded by some of the most vibrant and desirable neighborhoods in the Atlanta Metro, including Grant Park, Cabbagetown, Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward. The property has long been considered a community asset. The 94-unit multi-family apartment complex includes six two-story residential buildings, along with a free-standing leasing office building and surface lot parking. According to census data gathered by Reinvestment Fund’s affiliate, PolicyMap, the predominately Black neighborhood has seen significant population change over the past decade—suggesting gentrification pressures.  

The property was previously owned by The Integral Group, a recognized industry leader in affordable real estate development, headquartered in Atlanta, and The Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation, a non-profit, resident-led organization focused on housing and economic development. The two organizations hand selected Darion Dunn, Co-founder of Atlantica Properties, and Daniel Alexander, Principal and Co-founder of Domos to acquire the property due to their commitment to affordable housing and strong track record in repositioning LIHTC properties in their extended use periods.  

Initiative to Increase Diversity Within the Housing Industry Brings Two Developers Together  

Dunn and Alexander are two of the nine cohort members in the Growing Diverse Housing Developers (GDHD) Initiative working directly with the Reinvestment Fund. Funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation, GDHD is a four-year initiative led by four Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and aimed at working with top U.S. housing developers to create affordable housing solutions and increase diversity in a white-male dominated industry. Only 1% of businesses in the real estate sector are Black-owned and only 4% are Hispanic-owned, according to recent research. 

Reinvestment Fund supports its nine cohort members through flexible and creative financing solutions intended to help the developers grow their businesses and create more equitable communities. In the second year of the initiative, Reinvestment Fund continues to gain deeper insights into how to best support developers in pursuit of a common goal of affordable housing equity and increased diversity within the housing industry. As a part of the initiative, developers are invited to meetings, convenings, and conferences that help build their network and provide exposure to their business.  

This Atlantica/Domos partnership came to fruition following a GDHD convening in Atlanta and is the first time that two cohort members will be partners in a development project.  According to Robert Cox, Reinvestment Fund’s Managing Director of Community Lending, “Each developer brings their unique expertise, vision, and resources to the partnership. Together, they can create innovative real estate solutions that benefit all stakeholders while also growing each of their own businesses.”  

The collaboration in this development project is a significant milestone for the GDHD program, especially given the partners commitment to maintaining affordable rates for all units. 39 units will be required to be affordable to residents at 50% of the area median income and the remaining units affordable to residents at 60% of the area median income through 2029. 

Building Upon a Legacy  

With the growing demand for affordable housing and Mayor Andre Dickens commitment to create 20,000 units of affordable housing—experienced, developers like Dunn and Alexander are well positioned to scale impact in Atlanta and the City is directly supportive of this project.  

On the project and support of Reinvestment Fund and partnering organizations, Darion Dunn stated, “It’s a privilege to continue Integral’s legacy at The Square at Peoplestown, ensuring high-quality, affordable housing for years to come…In partnership with Domos, we’re excited to enhance this vital community asset. We extend our thanks to our lending partners, Reinvestment Fund and Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, for their unwavering support and belief in our mission.”  

You can learn more about the initiative and the participating developers at Reinvestment Fund’s website: Growing Diverse Housing Developers (GDHD) Initiative  

This is sponsored content.

The post Two Atlanta-based Developers Working with the Reinvestment Fund are Joining Forces to Preserve Affordable Housing   appeared first on SaportaReport.