VALDOSTA – Local leaders have partnered with the Black to the Future Action Fund to launch an affordable housing initiative in Valdosta.
Release:
On Friday, June 6, Black to the Future Action Fund (B2F) will unveil its first housing initiative in Valdosta as part of a long-term partnership with the community. Coinciding with Valdosta East Side Day on Saturday, local elected officials and community leaders will spotlight the housing crisis facing Valdosta’s Black community, and kick-off a year of actions that build power for renter protections and pathways to homeownership.
WHO:
- Councilmember Nick “Big Nick” Harden (At Large)
- Community housing advocate Kelley Saxon
- Pastor Dr. Mathis, local clergy leader
- Russell Armstrong, Senior Policy Strategist, Black to the Future Action Fund
- Omega Calhoun, Lead Georgia Organizer, Black to the Future Action Fund
- Javier Brown, State Policy Specialist, Black to the Future Action Fund
- Additional elected and community leaders (to be confirmed)
WHAT: Speakers will build excitement around innovative policies like eliminating junk application fees and discriminatory approval requirements for private housing, slowing rent increases once a family earns more income, and increasing the supply of affordable housing near grocery stores, jobs and services. These were adapted for Valdosta from Black to the Future Action Fund’s Black Economic Agenda, a policy platform shaped by over 200,000 Black voices and endorsed by nearly 20,000 people nationwide.
Black to the Future Action Fund work in Valdosta began in 2022, with a listening campaign that showed affordable housing as a top issue for residents. In 2023, Black to the Future engaged over 5,000 voters to help elect Black and pro-Black legislators with progressive values who move progressive policies. Last year, Black to the Future Action Fund continued to play a major role in Valdosta by supporting recovery efforts after the devastation of Hurricane Helene, while also empowering and organizing Black voters leading up to the 2024 election.
WHEN & WHERE:
Launch Event
Friday, June 6: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Remarks at 6:30 p.m.
VLPRA Senior Community Center, 1360 E Park Ave. Valdosta, GA 31602
Table at Annual East Side Day
Saturday, June 7: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Vallatton Park, 804 Woodlawn Dr, Valdosta, GA 31602
WHY: In Valdosta, a majority Black community, the median household income for Black people is roughly $34,000, barely over half the median white household income. By some estimates, 60% of Valdosta working families are struggling to afford rent and basic needs, and nearly one in three families live below the poverty line. Additionally, 80 new affordable units have taken years just to get to groundbreaking, while the waitlist for affordable housing stretches to 800 residents long.
Although the median gross rent is just $1000/month, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has set the fair market rent as high as $1700/month for a 4-person household; many members of the Black Valdosta community cannot afford that without sacrificing their health and safety.
VISUALS & INTERVIEWS:
- Local leadership pledging support
- Storytelling from the community
- Opportunities for one-on-one interviews with speakers and organizers
- Branded campaign materials and signage
MEDIA RSVP & INQUIRIES:Interviews can be arranged in advance. Please RSVP to alexis@change-llc.com.
About Black to the Future Action Fund
Black to the Future Action Fund works to make Black communities powerful in politics, so that we can be powerful in the entirety of our lives. We work to enact policies that improve the lives of Black communities, and to elect Black and pro-Black legislators with progressive values who move progressive policies. Together we work to ensure that Black people have what all people deserve —dignity, safety, and power. https://black2thefuture.org
