VALDOSTA, GA. (WTXL) — The new year is barely underway, but for hundreds of Valdosta families, the housing crisis never paused.
- Nearly 1,000 housing help requests came in over the holiday weeks, about half tied to post-Christmas evictions.
- Average two-bedroom rent is about $1,145, while average local income sits near $45,000 before taxes.
- Watch the video below to see how one resource is trying to meet the need.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The new year is barely underway, but for hundreds of Valdosta families, the housing crisis never paused.
I'm Malia Thomas, your Neighborhood News Reporter here in Valdosta, and local advocates here tell me the system has been stretched to its limits.
The South Georgia Partnership to End Homelessness reopened this week to a flood of need.
About half of those were tied to evictions that began immediately after Christmas.
Since reopening, another 150 requests have come in. And staff are bracing for nearly a thousand more by week's end.
Shontina Robinson, head case manager with the South Georgia Partnership to End Homelessness, says delays at the state and federal level are slowing critical help.
"With the difficult times that we have had with the government in the past couple of months here, we're seeing that affect what we are applying for here in the office… we're having to wait with different grants and stuff and get a yes or get a maybe."
Fair market rent in Valdosta now averages about $1,145 for two-bedrooms, according to the U.S.HousingData.com, while the average income sits near $45,000 before taxes, according to the US Census Bureau of Statistics.
Neighbors like Johnji Ingram tell me paying rent often feels impossible.
"One moment in time, it was a decent price. And now they want an arm and a leg for just a two-bedroom apartment… who trying to pay $1,700, $1,500 for a two-bedroom?"
And he says the pressure goes far beyond rent. "We struggling food-wise, cloth-wise, housing-wise… I don't understand this, like why we gotta pay so much?"
Meanwhile. The message from advocates is clear: the need is growing faster than their resources.
In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC 27.
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