The story focuses on Starwood Waypoint Homes, the largest owner of single-family homes in the country, and their bad track record when it comes to making repairs.

AVLF attended eight fall festivals in October, weaving tenants’ rights information into fun and games for the whole family.

This fall, Standing with Our Neighbors expanded from one school to seven. 

“Every time one of our clients is provided representation or assistance by someone in this audience, the broken edges of our society are drawn together. The gaps that deny the most vulnerable of our society access to justice are bridged.”

In its fourth year, AVLF at the Movies highlighted important, impactful issues affecting Atlanta’s communities. Over 300 people joined us to talk about the intersection between gentrification, affordable housing, and education. 

Today, as an attorney working on behalf of low-income clients facing housing instability, there is something sanitized about my profession and my persona.  When I meet with clients, I presume that I can access all kinds of personal information about them – but that they will not learn anything about me.  I am neutral, unmarked, The Professional – not a human being with personality quirks, and certainly not a human being with a first-hand experience of poverty. Perhaps attorneys have more in common with our clients than we are used to looking for.  And perhaps sharing those stories, forging those connections, is worth the risk of letting our professional masks drop.

AVLF is one of those rare entities that not only sounds too good to be true, but truly is extraordinary in every way — from their incredible staff, to their altruistic mission, to the actual impact that they have on Atlanta’s most impoverished residents.

Funding from the CFGA Spark Opportunity Giving Circle allows us to deepen our impact, continue to build trust, and sustain our programs in the Thomasville Heights Community.

The statistics surrounding the overlap between housing problems and domestic violence are staggering: 39% of cities in the U.S. cited domestic violence as the primary cause of family homelessness.