DEKALB COUNTY, GA — As housing affordability becomes a growing concern, DeKalb County leaders say they are exploring new ways to expand access and choices for renters and buyers.
DeKalb County Chief Housing Officer Alan Ferguson says the county is focusing on several strategies, including enhanced down payment assistance programs, financial education, and the use of under-utilized land and properties to create more affordable housing options.
Ferguson says a proposal he plans to bring forward would strengthen down payment assistance by better coordinating existing programs.
“Per the proposal that I’m going to bring forward is going to include, and enhance down payment assistance program because we fully recognize that there are several down payment assistance programs out there. Not all of them work together,” Ferguson said.
The county is also exploring ways to repurpose under-utilized land and extended-stay motel properties for housing.
“When we have properties that are under utilized in our communities, those properties can be converted into a productive use and one of those productive uses is housing,” Ferguson said.
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson hosted an ongoing lecture series this week, with the latest discussion centered on housing. During the event, Ferguson laid out both short-term and long-range plans to address affordability concerns.
Ferguson says while long-term planning is important, the focus also remains on immediate needs.
“We have a vision of what we’re trying to accomplish not in years to come, but what we’re trying to do right now in 2026 and it revolves around access and more choices,” he said.
County officials say potential solutions include legislative action, expanded financial literacy programming, enhancements to existing down payment assistance programs, and activating under-utilized properties for housing purposes.
Ferguson says the overall goal is improving access to safe, quality housing for DeKalb County residents.
WSB Radio’s Graham Carroll contributed to this story.
