US senator pushes for investigation of renter abuse by Georgia landlords

ATLANTA — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff announced new efforts to address the issue of what he said were landlord abuses of tenants, particularly those living in apartments managed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The properties, more popularly known as Section 8 Housing, or Section 8 Project-Based rentals, are used for low-income Americans for assistance with finding a place to live.

Atlanta has dozens of properties receiving funding from HUD. As previously reported by Channel 2 Action News, not all properties are taken care of in the same ways, leading to some being closed down, as was the case of Forest Cove Apartments.

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In Ossoff’s letter pushing for accountability and transparency from HUD regarding landlords who operate Section 8 eligible properties, Forest Cove was the first example he cited.

The Georgia senator, who serves as chair on the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Human Rights, asked HUD Sec. Marcia Fudge to provide solutions to what he said were issues of “rampant crime and violence” at project-based rentals, as well as mold, rat and roach infestations, lack of basic plumbing and working toilets, and floors so rotted that they collapse.

Ossoff described the conditions as “some of the daily realities that tenants around the country have reported facing while living” in rentals operated by the federal government, through landlords and the voucher system.

Roughly 1.3 million American families rely on the PBRA for housing needs, according to Ossoff’s letter, and HUD contracts with the owners of private properties to provide affordable housing to them.

Focusing in on the example of Atlanta’s Forest Cove, which is owned by Millennia, Ossoff said residents “endured such deplorable conditions and violence that the property was condemned.”

It’s an issue Channel 2 Action News has reported on since 2018.

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Atlanta city officials had to relocate the tenants to other areas to find housing, which Channel 2 Action News reported in October 2022.

At the time of the relocation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, along with the city council, provided $9.1 million to support the relocation efforts.

Discussing the relocation and condemned property last year, Dickens said it was a “worst-case scenario” that could not be allowed to happen again. He also announced efforts to go after all bad property managers in the city.

With Forest Cove as the example, Ossoff requested information and solutions from HUD about inspection processes, as well as investigation details for properties owned by Millennia, and two other companies called Redwood Housing and Hampstead, which receive funds from the department.

Ossoff’s letter notes that Millennia acquired multiple properties from Global Ministries Foundation, including Forest Cove. GMF had been subject to multiple HUD investigations, based on poor management and financial misconduct, according to Ossoff’s letter.

In a statement from the senator’s office, Ossoff asked HUD to explain how it currently enforces standards for living conditions and safety against landlords who fail to maintain their properties.

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