News Conference

A quarter of Athens-Clarke County faces poverty leaving many citizens scrambling to find affordable housing

Written by Drew Bearden

 

                                                                                              Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz speaking to students and staff at the University of Georgia on Friday about the arising housing crisis. (Photo / Drew Bearden)

 

Mayor Kelly Girtz addressed the growing housing issue in Athens-Clarke County during a news conference with students and staff at the University of Georgia on Friday. 

 

Athens-Clarke County currently faces one of the largest housing issues in its history. Fair market prices (FMR) in Athens are higher than the national average. According to RentData.org the Athens FMR is more expensive than 85% of other FMR areas.

 

Mayor Kelly Girtz said, “We find that over 4,700 households, not individuals, but households in Athens are severely cost burdened.”

 

Athens-Clarke County has seen a 17.49% increase in the fair price market of housing within the area as the average cost for rent is up almost $200. Mayor Girtz said he and his team also found that while rents were up 54%, people’s incomes on a household average were only up 29%.

 

Many students scramble for housing every year and among them is Fifth-year student Jacob Strine, who’s experienced plenty of housing issues. 

 

Strine said, “When I first started living there (5 years ago) rent was $500 per person and now my rent is almost $700 a month.”

 

Several students are burdened with the housing issue because of their need for accessibility to the campus but also because working conditions differ for people who will be leaving soon to go out into the real world.

Jacob Strine said “Working in Athens and being a college student, you don’t really get raises, you’re just trying to make it by.”

 

Mayor Girtz said his team expects another 30,000 people to move to Athens in the next 20 years and has multiple ideas on how to be prepared for when the time comes. 

 

The Athens-Clarke County government has provided the Future Land Use Plan for citizens to express how they want the land used and which parts of the land should be used for the upcoming changes in Athens. 

 

Multiple projects like revamping the mall and adding high rises downtown are what makes Mayor Kelly Girtz very optimistic of the future, and said we will be “responsive” to what lies ahead of housing in Athens-Clarke County.

 

Tags: housing, athens clarke county, land use

 

Why I Wrote the Story: 

I wrote this story because affordable housing has become more prominent in Athens with prices rising seemingly everywhere. This story provides an outlet for citizens to see their mayor’s plan to respond to the issue. It also shows how how the mayor interacts with students giving them a time to address their concerns.

 

Beat Q&A

By Drew Bearden

Nikolaj Todorovski, an engineering major and chairman of the Student Experience Committee of the SGA at the University of Georgia is dedicated to making his campus a better place for everyone. 

Q: What would you say has motivated you to get into politics and student government?

 A:  I just want to see the university become a better place. One of my mottos in life is, if you join something, make sure that place is better than when you started it, right? Make sure it’s better when you leave it than when you started.

Q: Have you been in any other organizations outside of student government that have helped you with what you’re doing now with the student government?

 A: Yeah, so I was a part of Turning Point which is now Conservative Student Union.  I did some stuff on the exec board; I was freshman outreach, so I learned how to communicate to freshmen, you know, bring them out to events, and I was also an events planner, which also helped me learn to talk to vendors, you know, around Athens and get stuff organized.

Q: Are there any long term issues that you and your committee are working on now that kind of excites you?

 A: So we’re currently looking at the accessibility of North Campus. So you have Joe Brown Hall, Peabody is a huge issue and the Holmes Academic Building that’s being renovated. Now, that was also a huge issue. And the big news is that should be done by next fall. So that’s going to be open, and it’s going to be fully ADA accessible. So that’s what truly excites me is making sure that students have access to every single building, every single classroom that they possibly can and improving the campus in that way.

Q: What would you say that you are most proud of while being at UGA?

A: Going to UGA has really gotten me out of my comfort zone. It’s made me become, I don’t want to call myself a better person, but in a way, yes. I know how to establish relationships, make new friendships, and just meet new people, which, you know, back home, I wasn’t doing that because I knew everyone right? Everyone was going from the same place to the same place. So that’s what I loved, and also joining a fraternity has helped me with that. Just getting out of my comfort zone has been a huge thing that I will look back on and will be like, I’m so glad I went to UGA because of this. 

Q: How would you say that you want to be remembered? Once you’ve graduated and what kind of legacy do you want to leave?

 A: Honestly, I just want to improve the lives of my fellow students. Whether it be my friends or complete random individuals that I’ve met through whatever I’ve done in the Senate. I want to be able to help people.

Comments trimmed for length and clarity.

Nikolaj Todorovski, chairman of the Student Experience Committee looking for ways to improve the experience of all students in the Tate Student Center on Feb. 9, 2024. (Photo/Drew Bearden)

Why I Wrote the Story:

I wrote this story because Nikolaj works hard every day to ensure that the students around him are better off. After doing some research on his goals and accomplishments, I knew people should know about how hard he works for his fellow students. Students do not know how much the SGA is really responsible for and this interview helped shine a light on their actions.