Mayors gather in Atlanta to address growing affordability crisis

Mayors from across the U.S. gathered Thursday at Azalea Fresh Market in Atlanta to discuss the affordability crisis.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens welcomed his peers with a unifying message that cities are working to make everyday life more affordable despite federal policies.

“The affordability crisis is due in large part because of decisions that have been made in Washington, D.C., and that has trickled down to every community in America,” Dickens said.

The biggest concern at the meeting was housing.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors which is conducting the National Affordability Tour. Atlanta was one stop along the way.

“There’s a saying that the rent eats first, and that’s true,” he said. “We will always have that fixed first-of-the-month payment that you know that you’re going to have to make, and how large that amount is determines how much money you have for food, for childcare, for health care.”

A survey of 113 mayors commissioned by the conference found that 96% agreed that their residents were very or extremely concerned about affordability and that housing costs were a driving factor of the crisis.

Atlanta will be the host city for the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ annual meeting next June, which will bring about 300 mayors to the city.