Atlanta landlord's $50,000 fundraiser grows into $16.5 million, helping 5,500 families avoid eviction

What began as a small $50,000 fundraising campaign to help tenants struggling to pay rent during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic has grown into a $16.5 million housing support programme across the Atlanta metropolitan area. Jason Dozier, an Atlanta landlord and community advocate, started the emergency rent assistance campaign after seeing tenants in his own properties and nearby neighbourhoods lose their jobs during the early pandemic lockdowns. Six years later, the project has grown into a full housing non-profit organisation. It has distributed millions of dollars to help more than 5,500 families stay in their homes. According to figures published by the Good News Network, the programme has prevented thousands of formal eviction cases by providing emergency rent payments directly to property owners on behalf of tenants who have fallen behind.Origins of the emergency relief campaignThe project started in early 2020 when Dozier realised that federal emergency support money could take months to reach low-income workers who were at immediate risk of losing their homes. Instead of sending eviction notices to tenants who could not pay their rent, Dozier launched an online fundraising ca...