Rental units would be affordable to families earning "between 0 and 80%" of AMI, a vague assertion which means all of them could conceivably be at 79% of AMI, or about $40,000/year.
Joy Fitzgerald, another official for AHA, laid out the City’s idea of what this "revitalization" program means.
Public housing would be replaced with mixed-income apartments and houses; high-performance neighborhood schools; upscale retail and commercial space; and green space.
Fitzgerald presented a list of dozens of communities slated for destruction.
Cindi Herrera, Program Manager for Housing Choice, said their program would allow public housing residents the "opportunity to move into housing of their choice... Will relocate 5,500 people. Responsible relocation... will make sure to provide families with the tools they need to make a good choice."
Herrera said the residents would be provided with vouchers–which may have no real value as explained previously by Atlanta Progressive News.
Georgia State University would be providing “education” for the controversial “relocation” program, Herrera said.
PARENTING LESSONS
Renee Glover told the audience they were in for a special treat: a speech by Commissioner BJ Walker of the Georgia Department of Human Resources.
Walker told a story of a 9 year old boy shot in a parking lot of an unspecified public housing complex. Walker said the mother had been interviewed on television and had said she was a good mother because she was hand-washing her childrens' jeans.
"Had anyone ever asked her what it meant to be a good parent? What matters to children most is adults," Walker said.
"What does this have to do with anything?" Dianne Mathiowetz, an activist with the Atlanta International Action Center, said, while busting out laughing at the AHA during their presentation.
The irony was lost on Walker: Single parents are being forced to work under the "Catalyst" program; how can they know where their children are when AHA is threatening them with eviction unless they work, particularly when no childcare is provided?
Moreover, how will public housing residents know where their children are when they’re living out on the street?
"Welfare might be good enough if you’re trifling," Walker included in her words of wisdom.
"I am offended by Commissioner Walker’s speech," activist Amy Hastey said in her public comments later. "Do you think this community needs a lecture on how to raise children, or do they need a living wage?"
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