The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) released its Georgia Housing Needs Assessment. These data will inform how DCA targets investments across its wide portfolio of housing programs. The objective of the Housing Needs Assessment is to analyze the trends behind the affordable housing crisis affecting many Georgians in order to help identify how the Department of Community Affairs could re-align its affordable housing programs to enhance its response to addressing such need. The needs assessment analysis addresses all types of housing needs in all areas of the state.
The assessment concludes that there is need at every income level and housing markets are driven by household growth and the overall economy. Vibrant economic growth will attract new resident households for employment opportunities and provide a variety of wage rates for all workers. Increasing population growth will spur housing production to try and meet demand. According to the assessment, the growth in the number of households being created since 2013 has outpaced the number of housing units being produced. This lack of housing stock makes low-income households vulnerable to housing instability. While the impact is felt most acutely at lowest incomes, there is a supply gap at all income levels.
