City Council OKs public safety officer housing incentives

Funds distribution overseen by Atlanta Police Foundation.

Atlanta City Council mem- bers approved a plan to donate $500,000 of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Atlanta Police Foundation to pay for hous- ing incentives for the city’s public safety officers.

The plan was proposed by Mayor Andre Dickens last month and passed unanimously by the council last week.

The Atlanta Police Foundation, with help from the Atlanta Apartment Associa- tion, will oversee the money, which will be distributed as a housing subsidy to first responders as an incentive to live near the area they serve.

Atlanta City Councilman Amir Farokhi, who spon- sored the legislative effort, told the AJC that the incentive program is one way COVID- 19 relief dollars can be used to try to address crime that spiked during the pandemic.

“I think this is appropriate because it makes for stronger neighborhoods and a more safe city,” he said. “If we can have our firefighters and police officers living in the city, it helps them better understand the fabric of the neighborhoods they work in and builds relationships that I think benefit us all.

During his first year, Dickens pledged to bolster the city’s public safety resources to address high rates of violent crime. The housing incentives join an array of other plans to support first responders, like retention bonuses for police officers that also utilize American Rescue Plan funds.

Farokhi said that while the money is for one-time use, if the program is successful, the council and the mayor’s office could talk about using general fund dollars to extend it.

“We hear from officers and firefighters all the time, particularly younger ones, that they want to live in the city, but they feel priced out,” he said. “And that’s even when we’ve been increasing salaries of fire and police to be market leaders in the metro area.”

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation last year found that the Atlanta Police Foundation is one of the most powerful U.S. police foundation organizations in the country.