Together, the AVLF family is tackling eviction and homelessness from both sides: in the courtrooms, and through direct financial payments to landlords and utilities companies.

The Courts are beginning to re-open. As COVID-19 disproportionately affects Black communities throughout the country, access to legal advocacy is more important than ever.

“Stay home.” “Stay safe.” These are the tag lines to every conversation I have with friends, with colleagues, with loved ones. But for many Atlantans, home is anything but safe.

At the APyeS! Awards on October 29th, we received the incredible honor of the Atlanta Public Schools District Partner of the Year Award.

On August 1st, leadership from the Kresge Foundation – one of our major grantors – visited one of our Standing with Our Neighbors schools.

This month, several of our staff members spoke on panels across the country, sharing the impact of their work at the intersection of housing, health, and domestic violence.

Atlanta Public Schools honored Staff Attorney Ayanna Jones-Lightsy with the 2018 Unsung Hero of the Year Award for her impact on the school community through the Standing with Our Neighbors™ program.

Every day in Atlanta, landlords carry out illegal evictions. They toss their tenants out without the benefit of court filings or a hearing, often because rent is a few days late. Most of the tenants who call AVLF have no prior warning of these “self-help” evictions. They simply return home to find that their key no longer fits in the lock, and peer through their own windows to see that all of their belongings have been removed or ransacked.

In Atlanta, mold infestations are common. When our subtropical summers meet a negligent landlord, fungus can flourish on the walls, causing a wide range of health problems. Standing with Our Neighbors (SWON) staff members are no strangers to this issue.

The foundation recognized AVLF for the preventative health work our programs accomplish.