It was a packed house for the Region IV HUD House Party at Atlanta’s Gathering Spot on Saturday, September 30th. The event kicked off with “CELEBRATE” by Kool & The Gang and was co-hosted by the Office of Field Policy and Management and Atlanta Housing. The house party welcomed over 18 vendors from all over the metro Atlanta area, including D&E Housing & Economic Empowerment Center, Inc., The Urban League of Greater Atlanta, Fulton County Community Development, Cadence Bank, House ATL, as well as the United States Federal Communications Commission, who came out to share information on the Affordable Connectivity Program, to name a few.

With an emphasis on communities of color, the House Party attracted over 200 attendees throughout the day, who were able to receive not only valuable information and resources from our participating partners to start them on their homeownership journey but also agencies like Southeast Mortgage and Prosperity Home Mortgage LLC were onsite offering pre-approvals for those who were ready to take the giant leap of faith. Also in attendance were HUD staff from the Atlanta Homeownership Center, Office of Housing Counseling, and Office of Fair Housing.

Attendees waited eagerly to hear from our guest speakers like Josh Humphries, Mayor Dickens’ Policy Advisor, and Kimberly Pickett from Operation Hope-Org, who shared valuable information on addressing barriers to credit readiness. The crown also heard from Joann Smith from Cadence Bank, who provided an overview of understanding mortgage financing. Organizations like Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Land Trust, and Atlanta Habitat for Humanity also presented and discussed the different homeownership initiatives and down payment assistance programs they offer.

Atlanta’s regional office efforts led to several attained goals: 250 individuals attended the event; 200 visitors to the housing counseling vendor; 116 individuals completed a housing counseling needs assessment; The Federal Communications Commission signed up three individuals for the Affordable Connectivity Program, and one was qualified! In addition, not only did the regional office promote homeownership, but promoted the importance of financial literacy and economic development amongst communities of color.

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