DeKalb’s new chief housing officer and community development director outline funding, preservation and production strategies

DeKalb County’s newly installed chief housing officer and the director of community development presented a sweeping overview of tools and programs the county is using to tackle a worsening housing crisis, stressing both production and preservation measures and flagging operational bottlenecks that limit residents’ access to aid.

Alan Ferguson, DeKalb County’s inaugural chief housing officer, told commissioners he views the problem not as isolated affordability shortfalls but as a broader housing crisis driven by rising rents and home prices, constrained new supply and higher construction costs. Ferguson said the county will pursue a three-pronged approach — connection, capacity building and creation — that coordinates departments, leverages outside partners and seeks new financing instruments such as a housing investment bond.

Alan Mitchell, director of community development, outlined the county’s primary capital tools. He described Low-Income Housing Tax Credits as the leading vehicle for large multifamily developments and said DeKalb routinely uses HOME funds as debt-equity in projects. Mitchell said the county currently has “probably excess over $10,000,000” in HOME-eligible funds available to developers and highlighted that the county must allocate a minimum share of funds to CHDOs (community housing development organizations), with a pending appropriation to a recently certified CHDO that Mitchell estimated could be “probably over $1,000,000.”

Mitchell reviewed neighborhood-preservation programs the county operates. Since 2008 the Neighborhood Stabilization Program has driven roughly $33 million in purchases and rehabs of foreclosed or vacant single-family homes; Mitchell said about 180 homes were sold and about 168 rental units produced using NSP. He also described a contract with a private partner (a $6,000,000 agreement with NPI) to advance property acquisition and rehabilitation.

On tenant stability and homelessness prevention, Mitchell said the county spent $13,000,000 in ERA/ICCI funds over a six-month period and helped nearly 3,000 households. Of that total, he said $9,500,000 went to delinquent rent to avoid evictions, with the remainder covering hotel placement, transportation and services for people in unstable living conditions. Mitchell also outlined a HOME-ARP tenant-based rental assistance program with a coordinated-entry intake team; he provided a public hotline for residents seeking help: (404) 687-3500.

Preservation programs tailored to older homes and vulnerable owners were emphasized. Mitchell said the Special Purpose Housing Repair Program received more than 550 senior applications for grants that cover mechanical, electrical and plumbing repairs (maximum award: $16,000). He also described a senior tree-removal initiative that drew about 1,400 applicants but currently has capacity to handle roughly 50–60 cases without additional funding. CAPCARE plumbing repair received ARP funding (approximately $5,000,000 allocated) to address severe sanitary defects in older housing stock.

Commissioners pressed for operational improvements. Several noted long waitlists (Pete Walker of the housing authority cited a roughly 20,000-person voucher wait list) and thousands of callers seeking services; Mitchell acknowledged intake backlogs and said the county is using HMIS to log calls and triage cases. He and Ferguson urged pairing program design with procurement and planning to improve competitiveness for state-administered LIHTC allocations (QAP points) by demonstrating local investment and small-area planning.

Ferguson said the county has already greenlighted a comprehensive housing plan, contracted with Enterprise Community Partners, and is preparing near-term actions to align municipal partners, leverage county agencies and pursue targeted acquisitions and redevelopment opportunities. He emphasized that sustainable solutions will require both public and private capital and cross-jurisdictional coordination across DeKalb’s many municipalities.

Next steps: officials said they will provide commissioners with more granular program reports (NSP parcel lists and ZIP-code files, funding balances and potential legal constraints) and continue drafting the county’s affordable-housing trust fund and related resolutions for business-meeting consideration.