Ideas

Amir Farokhi
City Councilmember | Atlanta, GA

Community Safety Housing Subsidy

Idea Category: Housing | Funding Source: American Rescue Plan

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi championed the Community Safety Housing Subsidy program to address the rising cost of living in Atlanta and the challenge of attracting and retaining police and fire first responders. He hopes to combat these obstacles by setting aside $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to offset the cost of first-responder personnel living within the city limits. Moreover, the program seeks to facilitate neighborly and voluntary interactions between first responders and those they protect for the purpose of reducing crime, building trust, and increasing public safety.

Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are intended for monthly rent assistance. Recipients are required to be on active duty and complete 1 hour of unpaid community service per month. The amount of rental assistance will be on a sliding scale from $250 to $850 based on yearly income.

Impact:

The program started accepting applications in 2023 and will measure its impact on several metrics including:

 1) More first responders choosing to live in the City

 2) Reduced attrition among first responders who are in year 1-10 of their service

 3) An increase in applications to public safety positions

 4) Increased trust in public safety officials and departments

 5) Reduction in crime.

More Idea’s From Amir Farokhi

ARP: Atlanta GA, Community-based Housing Incentives for Public Safety Officials

Idea Category: Housing | Funding Source: ARP

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Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund

Idea Category: Equity & Opportunity | Funding Source: ARP

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