By Melanie Kagan, CEO of the Center for Family Resources (CFR)
Last year, more than 1,000 households in our county were homeless and seeking shelter or housing services. Thirty percent of those households were families with minor children. That’s nearly 700 children without a safe place to lay their head. Unfortunately, this doesn’t account for the additional 800 households that are living in extended-stay motels or bouncing from one temporary housing situation to another. The sad truth is that homelessness in Cobb County is increasingly becoming a family problem that is disproportionately impacting children.
Stable housing is the first step toward achieving long-term success for families. When we improve family stability, it enhances our community stability. Keeping that in mind, and during National Homelessness Awareness Month, it is important to share some contributing factors that may lead a family or individual to become unhoused in Cobb County.
The causes of housing instability and homelessness can be complicated. Humans are complicated. It can stem from something sudden and unexpected, like a job loss, a separation or divorce, an illness, or death. Or it can be the result of generational poverty, lack of family support, or lifelong struggles with mental illness. At The CFR, we see Cobb County families who struggle for all these reasons and more when they reach out to us for help; however, there are factors unique to our county that amplify these challenges.
One of the main obstacles is Cobb County’s lack of affordable housing. The median rent here is $1,700 for a two-bedroom apartment, an increase of 39 percent from 2019-2023. Couple this with a 5.6 percent vacancy rent in the county—compared to the national average of 9.6 percent and Georgia’s 10 percent— it can make is nearly impossible to find a vacant, much less affordable property.
Other factors to housing insecurity include our county’s lack of reliable public transportation. This requires many people to own their own vehicle. To add to this cost burden, Georgia is the number one highest-rated state for car insurance premiums. In addition, with 29 percent of Cobb County households earning less than $60K/year, some 51 percent of Cobb County renters are housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. These are unsustainable for our lower-income households.
While the challenges seem daunting, The CFR works tirelessly to stabilize the lives of children and families who are homeless or who are in danger of becoming homeless. We offer an alternative to congregate care with our short-term housing program where families have the privacy they need to regroup and focus on the future. In addition, our transitional housing program allows families to stabilize over a longer period of time to overcome barriers to obtaining permanent housing. The wraparound services we offer—such as job training, financial literacy, and life skills—address some of the root causes of homelessness. Our preventive efforts like financial assistance, the choice pantry, the housing stability court/eviction diversion program and our savings incentive program are aimed at stopping what can otherwise become a cycle of homelessness.
Together, through The Cobb Homeless Alliance and our network of agency partners, we are working to create a system of care that addresses all levels of homelessness. We are looking at opportunities to create public/private partnerships to retain and sustain an affordable housing inventory. We are seeking incentives for builders using tax-credits, and we are working with churches, schools, philanthropists, and business owners to create an infrastructure that provides safe and accessible housing for residents across the income spectrum.
Supporting agencies like ours can have an immediate impact on those experiencing housing instability. However, strategically investing in affordable housing initiatives and developing programs designed to increase a family’s self-sufficiency and decrease their reliance on assistance programs can significantly decrease the number of children experiencing homelessness.
It is important to remember that behind every statistic is a family, a child, and a real-life struggle to make ends meet. It is only when the community comes together to support families that we can change the trajectory of their lives and provide hope for their futures.
Melanie Kagan is the CEO for The Center for Family Resources (CFR), an organization that provides support for children and families who face homelessness in Cobb County. To learn more about The CFR or to donate to support its efforts, please visit TheCFR.org.
