ATLANTA — It will soon become less costly to live in the City of Atlanta for public safety personnel.
On Monday, the Atlanta City Council approved a donation of $500,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Atlanta Police Foundation to subsidize housing for public safety personnel.
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The Police Foundation will work with the Atlanta Apartment Association to find apartment companies who will offer a unit at a reduced rate.
“Even as we talk about affordable housing throughout our city, its a challenge, even for our law enforcement public safety partners in fire,” said Deputy Chief Timothy Peek.
Soon, the program will help not only police officers, but firefighters and city corrections personnel find an affordable place to live in the city.
“The intent is for this to incent officers and firefighters to live near the zones they work in or the stations they work in a little bit geographically specific to where they work,” said Councilman Amir Farokhi.
With the funding, the Police Foundation will match the discount, making it affordable for officers, firefighters, and corrections officers to find housing on their salaries.
This comes at a time when public safety departments are doing whatever it takes to fill openings, as many face shortages.
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Over the past year, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office offered a $9,000 signing bonus for deputies and corrections officers. And the Alpharetta Police Department took their recruiting to the Northeast.
Atlanta hopes this subsidy will help them remain competitive, and eventually the neighborhoods where officers work, will also be the place they call home.
“When you’re seeing a vehicle in that neighborhood and you know the officers that live in that neighborhood, when you form relationships and when things are taking place in that community, they’re more willing to talk or share what’s happening,” added Deputy Chief Peek.
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