Homeowners Katheryn Copper (center left) and Denise Guinyard (center right) are recipients of Atlanta's Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund program. The program recently expanded citywide, helping seniors pay property taxes over the next 20 years. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
Atlanta’s senior residents will get help staying in their homes through a now-citywide program that’ll cover their property taxes through the Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund.
Funds for the program come from $10 million from the Centennial Yards Housing Trust Fund and a $750,000 donation from film executive Tyler Perry. The money will go towards paying increasing property taxes for legacy residents over the next 20 years.
“These are the people we are doing this work for, and I can already see the difference it is making in some of their lives. I also think about this as a son of a senior homeowner, and I know the importance of making sure legacy residents across our city can age in place and age with dignity in the homes that they worked so hard for,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during a press conference on the program’s expansion.
Katheryn Copper is a participant of the city’s Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund. She expressed her appreciation of the effort on the step of her home just off North Avenue. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
The Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund was launched in 2024. Officials piloted the program in a few of Atlanta’s neighborhoods. The program accepted just over 100 senior homeowners before expanding it to residents across Atlanta this year.
One of the program’s recipients, Denise Guinyard, has lived on the city’s West End for 20 years.
“There are a lot of seniors that have been here for a minute, and your taxes go from 1,500 to 4,000 a year. You’re on a fixed income. How does that work for you? And so this gives the seniors a break, a little breather,” Guinyard said.
A 2024 report by the Atlanta Regional Commission showed that just over a quarter of senior homeowners are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
“We often talk about investing in Atlanta’s future, but we must also invest in Atlanta’s past — in the people who have made this city the great city that it is today. Programs like the one we have created really target economic tools that strengthen neighborhoods, drive stability and promote our shared equity,” said Elosia Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta.
And for Katheryn Copper, the Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund program makes her feel seen as housing costs change over time.
“This program means a lot to me because it says that my city and my mayor acknowledge me,” Copper said. “This program is not just about tax relief. It’s about our longevity, it’s about living life fully as seniors, and I am so grateful.”
As of September, officials say the program has paid about $30,000 in property taxes. The total number of homeowners in the program now sits at 426.
