logo
Ossoff to speak about corporate landlords buying up Georgia homes

Ossoff to speak about corporate landlords buying up Georgia homes

Yahoo19-05-2025

The Brief
Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff is hosting an oversight session in Atlanta to discuss the alleged mistreatment of Georgia renters by out-of-state corporate landlords.
The senator says that nearly 30% of the state's single-family rental homes are owned by one of four major companies.
He's asking Georgians who have been affected by this rise in corporate property purchases to tell his office their stories through his website.
ATLANTA - Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff says that he's planning to expose the "mistreatment of Georgians" by out-of-state corporate landlords on Monday.
The senator is hosting an oversight session in Atlanta with Georgia renters to discuss the issue.
By the numbers
The session comes weeks after Ossoff announced that he would be launching an inquiry into multiple out-of-state corporations that have bought up thousands of single-family homes and driven up prices.
According to a report by the Government Accountability Office in 2024, large companies owned one in every four single-family renter homes in the metro Atlanta area. Officials say that makes the area the most impacted region in the country. The latest data released last week by a Georgia State University researcher showed that the number had increased to 30%.
In Henry County, Ossoff says that nearly 70% of all single-family rental properties. Paulding County's number is reportedly even higher at 78%.
Ossoff and Georgia State University professor Dr. Taylor Shelton said that it could mean higher home prices for Georgia families.
What they're saying
"There is a housing crisis, not just in metro Atlanta, but across the state of Georgia, and more and more Georgians are unable to afford a home," Ossoff said in a statement. "More and more Georgians who are renting instead of buying are facing mistreatment or abusive practices by corporate landlords."
"I think we can all agree that we face a housing crisis that a young family with a new child who wants to purchase their first home now can't afford it, and that those who are renting face higher and higher rents and more and more mistreatment from these large, out-of-state corporate landlords. I launched this investigation in order to bring transparency and accountability and to lower home prices for my constituents in Georgia," he said.
Dig deeper
Ossoff has requested information from four companies - Invitation Homes, Main Street Renewal, Tricon Residential, and Progress Residential - on their home purchases across Georgia.
He has asked the companies to provide the information no later than July 1.
The senator is asking any Georgians who believe they've been mistreated by large corporate landlords or who have been unable to afford homes to share their stories on his website.
The Source
Information for this story came from multiple releases by the Office of Sen. Jon Ossoff, a study by the Government Accountability Office, and previous FOX 5 reporting.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

City of Davenport invests in technology to address firefighter shortage
City of Davenport invests in technology to address firefighter shortage

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

City of Davenport invests in technology to address firefighter shortage

Since late 2024, the City of Davenport and the Davenport Fire Department have teamed up to use a new device that speeds up water removal, eliminating the need for manual intervention. Firefighters save lives every day, from homes engulfed in flames to acres of land burning to the ground. Budget concerns, however, can pose an added challenge for some local fire departments. 'We run a limited staffing we'd like to have more people, but due to, you know, budgets and just the amount of people were able to hire, we can't quite do that,' said Thomas Murphy, Jr., Administrative Captain, Davenport Fire Department. The city of Davenport is now working to fix that. Since late 2024, the city has been using a new device that helps get water out quicker, eliminating the need for a person to do it. 'It gives us a safety factor with the limited staff,' Captain Murphy said. A national report from the Government Accountability Office found that firefighter numbers declined from 2019 to 2023, with wages and work schedules as the leading causes of staffing gaps. Captain Murphy continues, 'I wouldn't say it eliminates a position, but with the ability to, particularly, what we call charge a hose line, meaning get water to the nozzle of the hose line without somebody standing at the pump panel, is what the SAM system does.' The system allows the crew to operate the pump remotely from inside the fire scene and the technology could help attract younger generations to the industry, according to experts. 'Gen Alpha, even Gen Z, they are picking jobs that are technologically advanced,' said Jason Cerrano, Director of Research and Development, IDEXX Fire and Safety. 'They will shy away from older, more manual jobs. We've got to start facing that challenge.' The City of Davenport paid about 25,000 dollars for technology, and they say this will come in handy ahead of the fire season. The city hopes other agencies will do the same, especially those facing staffing shortages. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Largest cuts ‘in history:' Local impact of potential cuts to SNAP benefits in Trump bill
Largest cuts ‘in history:' Local impact of potential cuts to SNAP benefits in Trump bill

Yahoo

time17 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Largest cuts ‘in history:' Local impact of potential cuts to SNAP benefits in Trump bill

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' aimed at cutting taxes and federal spending will also include cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), a program hundreds of thousands of Georgia households rely on to feed their families. The legislation passed in the United States House of Representatives over a week ago. The way the bill is currently written, thousands of Georgians would no longer meet the federal requirements to receive SNAP benefits. 'I stay home because I'm disabled, but even with the food stamps I get, I'm still having to pay out of pocket,' Heather Nelson, whose family receives SNAP said. Right now, anyone who does not work but has children under the age of eighteen is eligible to receive benefits. Under Trump's bill, those who do not work would only be eligible to receive SNAP if their children are under eight. 'They're still growing. They're actually hungrier than after that age. So, they're eating more food than normal, especially in summer. So, they're home all the time,' Nelson said. 'Cutting after the age of eight, I think that's crazy.' The second major change would be an increase in the age requirement for SNAP for older adults. People who don't or can't work wouldn't be eligible to receive SNAP until 64, instead of the current age of 54. 'It takes about 300 billion dollars out of SNAP, according to the non-partisan congressional budget office. This is the largest cut to the food assistance program in history,' Alex Jacquez, Chief of Policy and Advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, an economic policy think tank in Washington, D.C, said. According to Jacquez, Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' shifts some of the cost for SNAP benefits to the states, which could lead to major cuts to the program at the state level. 'These are generally payments that have always been made by the federal government, and they're instituted in an escalating penalty type of way,' Jacquez said. 'Instead of having to actually make the outlays, the choice that these states are going to make is either to cut benefits back or opt out of the SNAP program entirely.' Trump's bill will go to the U.S. Senate next and it could be changed or rewritten in any number of ways during that process. House Republicans said their goal is to get the bill passed in both chambers and signed into law by July 4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Alabama vs. Colorado: Space Command HQ location debate unresolved in new GAO report
Alabama vs. Colorado: Space Command HQ location debate unresolved in new GAO report

American Military News

timea day ago

  • American Military News

Alabama vs. Colorado: Space Command HQ location debate unresolved in new GAO report

A new review by congressional auditors finds U.S. Space Command is struggling with hiring and headquarters construction almost 18 months after it declared itself operationally ready. It also calls into question the Air Force's claim that moving the headquarters to Redstone Arsenal would result in hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings – a key justification that has been seized on by Alabama politicians in recent years. The report by the Government Accountability Office is the latest in a series of reviews of a 2023 decision by former President Joe Biden to locate the new command's permanent headquarters at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., where it had been temporarily housed. That choice came despite the U.S. Air Force naming Redstone Arsenal as the 'preferred location' in 2021 following a lengthy selection process. Since then, politicians from Colorado and Alabama have sparred over the proper location. Just this year, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Sen. Katie Britt and Rep. Dale Strong of Huntsville called on President Donald Trump to 'immediately proceed' to establish its permanent headquarters at Redstone. Last month, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a joint resolution in support as well. The report released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office finds Space Command's headquarters operates out of four facilities in Colorado Springs, Colo. – only two of which are on secure military installations – and remains well short of its civilian staffing needs. 'Officials told us … the Command requires military construction of a permanent, purpose-built facility that is better suited to meet its unique power, information technology, square footage, and security needs,' auditors wrote. Due to the struggles with staffing and delays in construction, auditors wrote in the new report, Space Command's 'current command posture is not sustainable long-term.' Auditors attributed the delays in headquarters construction in part to a provision U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama's 3rd Congressional District added to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that halted money on Space Command's headquarters pending the outcome of two reviews: this one and one by the Pentagon's Inspector General. The halt has since lapsed, but as of March, Space Command officials told GAO auditors, there were, 'no updates on funding' for headquarters construction in Colorado Springs. Rogers said in an emailed statement that the report 'yet again affirms' that Huntsville is the best location for Space Command headquarters. He accused Biden of putting political concerns ahead of national security. 'This blatant interference and politization of a critical decision on national security would cost the taxpayer over $420 million,' Rogers said. 'President Trump chose the best location for SPACECOM headquarters. I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to rectify yet another one of Biden's national security blunders.' Republican Rep. Jeff Crank of Colorado Springs posted on X, 'The release of today's GAO Report is clear: Colorado Springs is the best home for U.S. Space Command's headquarters. Continued efforts to move the headquarters only hurts our national security.' In a statement to Strong pointed out that the GAO report highlights, 'inadequate and dispersed facilities, staffing shortages, and outdated infrastructure' in and around Peterson Space Force Base. 'Keeping the headquarters in Colorado Springs is projected to cost the taxpayer $426 million more than it would to transition to Huntsville,' he said. 'It's time to move forward with what's best for national security and bring U.S. Space Command Headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama.' The latest re-evaluation of the selection of a permanent headquarters for the U.S. military's newest combatant command reveals a handful of new details in the yearslong process. But it does not resolve the central conflict over cost vs. readiness, with the Air Force emphasizing the former in preferring Redstone Arsenal and Space Command the latter in preferring Colorado Springs. While the new report reiterates that the U.S. Air Force's recommendation the command be moved to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama is largely justified by the service's own selection criteria, it offers new details that auditors say call into question the validity of the Air Force's conclusions. A key sticking point – the disagreement between the Air Force and Space Command over how strongly to weigh costs vs. interruption of readiness – remains unresolved in part because a consultant hired by the Air Force to study the matter did not sufficiently document the process by which it arrived at $426 million in estimated cost savings by moving the command to Redstone. GAO auditors noted the Air Force itself assigned a confidence level to the cost savings of just 5%, which they called, 'a low level of confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the estimate.' As a result, the GAO report stated, some of the cost benefits the Air Force attributed to a move to Redstone 'were not rooted in complete or reliable analysis.' The GAO's review is the second of two requested by Rogers, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee. Last year, he asked the GAO and the Department of Defense Inspector General to investigate the siting decision. In April, the Pentagon's IG report revealed concerns at the highest levels of Space Command that up to a thousand crucial civilian employees would refuse to relocate from Colorado to Alabama if the headquarters were to be moved to Redstone Arsenal. The GAO report, in turn, points to Space Command's continued problems in hiring civilian staffers, which are expected to make up 60% of overall command staff. As of October, Space Command had filled just 1,024 of 1,379 authorized positions, including 576 of 809 government civilian positions. The challenge arose due to 'uncertainty regarding the Command's final location and the complexities of hiring government civilians over the more straightforward process of assigning military personnel,' auditors wrote. About 380 temporary contractor personnel have been working for Space Command in Colorado Springs since it reached full operational capacity in December 2023. Space Command is the unified combat command for military space operations. The U.S. Space Force trains and equips most forces under Space Command, though the latter includes small elements from the other service branches. Space Command is charged with defending space and delivering space capabilities to joint and combined U.S. and allied forces. Locating the command in Huntsville would bring at least 1,600 new jobs, has reported. ___ © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store