Southwest Atlanta and the Audacity of Resilience
Southwest Atlanta residents cope with many challenges, like the increasing cost of living, added financial burden from climate change and exposure to environmental pollutants, and often, a seeming lack of prioritization by private companies and public institutions.
Even still, residents remain resilient and find new ways to care for themselves, their families, and each other. Although generational shifts have left some residents feeling more isolated, Southwest Atlanta communities find ways to engage with and invest in their neighborhoods and other residents by providing tangible and intangible support, maintaining a sense of resourcefulness by adapting, and seeking new information.
While cost is the largest barrier (56%) to participating in a weatherization program (Figure 12), Atlanta residents frequently cite a lack of information about aid programs, suggesting a need for better and more coordinated marketing of existing programs towards populations who can benefit the most. This may be especially true for senior residents who are wary of strangers because of increased solicitation by fraudulent actors. Even residents who participate in weatherization programs say that it is difficult to understand what is available to them and to differentiate between the types of services they need most as they manage living costs for their households.
“… So, I mean, I have talked to people, and [I] have a sign in my yard that says, “[The] Beltline is helping with my taxes.” And people have asked me about, like, a heritage, Invest Atlanta program.” – Homeowner
“…We just did outreach on Saturday. And when I say we fed a lot of people. We had people coming out the stores, coming in”– Renter
Property owners and homeowners are concerned about retaining wealth and home values through weatherization while managing their households. Renters, meanwhile, must focus on ensuring that their daily needs for food and housing security are met.
“I think everybody over 65 [...] should be able to get at least $100 a month for food stamps. That’s just my opinion. At least $100. I agree with that. Regardless of what your income is.” - Renter
“… Anything over 10… been out there for over 10 years should already be grandfathered in. Where it wouldn’t be no rent increase.” - Renter
“I know you know it’s a lot of senior citizen out there. We’re out there, and we’re not going anywhere. And they don’t take Section 8 or no kind of subsidized. I said, ‘But you all need to realize that you got senior citizen out there. We’re willing to stay out there. We’re willing to pay the rent. But we’re not willing to pay market value rent. So you all need to come up with some kind of alternative. Give us senior citizen discount if you want us to pay market value.’ Make us… make it a senior citizen discount.” - Renter
Renters and low-income residents rely on federal programs like Social Security or SNAP to supplement resources. However, this kind of aid can be limited or fails to meet renters’ needs because of conservative and dated threshold barriers in income. To address this, renters and low-income residents report getting help from loved ones or family members to cover living expenses or reaching out to churches to obtain food. Additional municipal or local support might help provide a much-needed stopgap for residents in need. Even still, property owners, homeowners, and renters face a cost of living crisis that puts displacement at the forefront of their worries.
Atlanta residents responded that they are in favor of guaranteed monthly savings on energy bills (62%) and upfront cash rebates (43%) to alleviate the financial burden of weatherization. (Figures 13 and 14). Such support would enable property owners to invest more in weatherization despite limitations caused by competing expenses. For instance, while city-funded grants offer reprieve, owners still must take on major upfront costs, be they loans or out of pocket payments. Procedural issues can prevent property owners from getting the full benefit of aid. For example, rebates can become inaccessible when requirements are unclear, such as what kinds of information should be submitted and who needs to submit it.
“Okay, so we went through a contractor. They did all these upgrades. They did all this. But we didn’t buy the material. So how do we get the rebates? You get what I’m saying? The contractor, I already asked him, they didn’t apply for any rebate. They didn’t get any rebate. They can’t even get the rebates for our business, but how do we get it for our pocket if we do the work? So I’d like clarification on that, because it’s also a time frame to have to submit the stuff. Do I submit them my invoices from the contractor that gives a detailed list of what they did. But I don’t have a receipt for the lights, you know? The contractor buys the material, install it, charge us. I have to give them [a percentage]. And then, well, there’s no recourse for all this upgrade, which, we qualify for rebates, but how? What’s the course of action to get the actual rebates? If the contractor purchased it? We have the invoice. We have our everything, but I don’t have a itemized list of what these serial numbers are. How do we get our money back?” - Property owner and business owner
“...I think at the top level, though, it needs to be looking at the zip code, looking at the income earnings for that area, and there needs to be caps put on utility bills.” - Homeowner
Addressing the fundamental issues of all Atlanta residents — including renters’ social needs — is imperative, as is rectifying decades of harm committed through policies like de facto redlining.
“But then it’s also now, I know we don’t have anywhere to have a garden… Like in our community. Like, where do we do that? That also impacts access to food. But these are brownfields, right? There are brownfields in our community. So is the ground okay to plant?”- Homeowner
Continued investment in the financial futures of Atlanta residents is paramount to ensuring protection from adverse weather conditions. By tending to the intersection of climate burden, environmental burden, financial security, and health, Southwest Atlanta residents can live safely in the city they’ve helped to shape. View our policy recommendations for doing just that and a call to action by one city resident to continue the fight ahead.
“Who is willing to do the footwork? That’s the problem with all, everything that we got going on in this world. Willing to do footwork and stay consistent. You know you can, you can do a survey and you get all the data. Then what you gonna do with the data? What’s gonna happen? Is it gonna get pushed over in the corner and collect dust? Or we gonna do something about it? Even if it takes 10 years to give one more person into it, do that. Don’t just let it die and then never pick it up again. If you draw one person out of 25 you draw a lot.” - Renter
