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Eviction crisis and a denied payment: Council pledges legal help for tenant facing immediate eviction; donation vote on lawyers tabled
Summary
A resident facing eviction after a fire told the Atlanta City Council that property management refused a cashier's check and filed for possession. Councilmembers pledged immediate legal help and arranged pro bono counsel; the council also tabled a proposed donation to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation for further work.
A City of Atlanta resident told the council on Monday that management at her apartment complex refused a cashier's check and filed to evict her and her children after a November fire. Council members intervened at the meeting, arranging immediate legal help and telling the resident they would work to prevent an eviction from appearing on her rental record.
Andrene Kong said the property, managed by Greystar at the Marshon property, had initially refused to accept payment after a fire left her family displaced. "They wouldnt accept any payment from me until I left the property," Kong told the council, saying management denied a payment she brought in personally and then filed for a writ of possession. Kong said a hearing was scheduled for the next day.
Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari said she had begun work on emergency relocation and rehousing and promised on the dais to continue efforts to keep the family in the same community. "We're gonna sort it out," Bakhtiari said. Councilmember Michael Julian Bond said municipal resources are available: the city's municipal-court public-defender office can provide free legal advice and counsel to residents facing eviction. Bond indicated he would provide contact information for the office.
Staff and councilmembers said they had secured pro bono help for Kong. Councilmember Marcy Collier Overstreet and other members confirmed they had located an Atlanta Legal Aid attorney and volunteers who specialize in eviction defense; the council asked staff to connect the resident to the volunteer lawyers immediately.
The council also addressed a separate but related agenda item: a resolution to donate municipal funds to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation to support eviction-defense services. The sponsor asked for more time and the council voted to "hold in the breast of council" the donation resolution 25R‑32‑23. That motion passed 15‑0; the item will return to committee for additional information before a final vote.
Council members and staff encouraged tenants to use the city's housing-help resources. Councilmember Bond specifically noted the municipal public-defender office in Atlanta Municipal Court as a resource for immediate legal counsel for eviction hearings.
What happened next: Council staff and representatives at the meeting — including staffers, members of the district offices and the housing help center — said they would follow up to connect Kong with counsel before the hearing and to explore rehousing if necessary. Council members said they would pursue a quick solution so the eviction would not be entered on the resident's record.
Context: Council members have been considering municipal funding for right-to-counsel and eviction defense services; the council deferred a planned donation to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation pending additional details. Advocates who spoke at the meeting asked the city to expand funding for eviction defense and to make legal aid more widely available to residents at risk of losing housing.
