More than one in four Atlantans have had trouble making the mortgage or rent in the past year, according to a survey by housing advocates.
Among 501 people surveyed, 27 percent said they had cut spending on groceries, clothing or other expenses during the past 12 months in order to pay rent or the mortgage, said Make Room, a national pro-renter group.
Participants were asked questions about their situations and experience, as well as their attitudes toward housing policy.
A large majority said they favored policies that would promote affordable housing, including the use of zoning and other regulations that would set aside a portion of new apartments and condos for lower-wage workers.
The Make Room group, based in Washington, D.C., calls for stronger government action to bolster affordable housing.
Advocates said that an analysis of Census Bureau data shows that more than 100,000 households, or 25 percent of metro Atlanta renters, spend more than half of their pre-tax income on rent and utilities.
A recent examination by SmartAsset pegged the fair market rent for two-bedroom apartments in the Atlanta area at $1,461, or 11th among 15 big cities considered — just below Dallas and just higher than Houston.
Make Room is backed by a number of philanthropies, including the Ford and MacArthur foundations. The survey was released to coincide with the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum this week.
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