Under a rent relief charity campaign headed by National Basketball Association Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, up to 25 people could get their rent covered for an entire year.
The FreeRent ATL program, created by Atlanta-based real estate investment company Roots, started accepting applications Friday. In addition to rental relief, the program will offer wraparound services, including financial literacy classes, food assistance, clothing, and mental health services.
In the fall, Wilkins and his wife, Jedidia Wilkins, chaired a second annual FreeRent ATL charity event and have helped raise nearly $400,000 of a $500,000 goal to help 25 families find secure housing and build wealth.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the former Atlanta Hawks small forward said the program is about giving people the opportunity to get back on their feet and build enough savings for a down payment on a home.
“It’s not giving people a handout. It’s giving them a hand up. It’s giving them room to breathe. A lot of times, all people really want is a chance. That’s what we’re trying to do,” said Wilkins, the Hawks’ vice president of basketball.
Wilkins said his wife not only co-chaired the event but also helped him do all the “technical stuff.”
“I’m not that technical guy,” he said. “This is a movement. We want to get as many people as we can to engage in Roots, to help us fight this cause.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Criana Goggins was a recipient of the 2023 FreeRent ATL program. She said she was in danger of becoming homeless after experiencing COVID-19-related health issues while living at an apartment complex in Stone Mountain. She is immunocompromised and had two heart attacks over 12 months, according to Roots.
Rent at the three-bedroom unit was $1,450 in Stone Mountain, and she was spending well over half her $30,000 salary on housing. Even worse, conditions at the complex were deplorable, the 44-year-old said, with the family living under a leaky roof, and with rat infestations, mold, and mildew.
At her lowest ebb, there was no money coming in, and she was unable to pay all her bills.
“I had to figure out: Was I going to pay rent or pay utilities? Was I going to pay certain bills or feed my kids?” she said.
These days, the future looks a whole lot brighter. She is paying $1,850 for a newly renovated single-family home with a yard in the city of Conyers. She shares the home with her 17-year-old twin boys, Zion and Zadion. A pay bump in her state government job offered more relief. She now earns $57,000 a year.
A large proportion of her income will still go toward housing, but Groggins said she has saved enough money to feel more secure in her new home.
“Everybody is one paycheck away from the possibility of not having a safe environment or somewhere to live. With FreeRent ATL, they care. They provide you with the resources and the tools to navigate to a brighter future,” Groggins said.
Roots was founded by father-son team Larry and Daniel Dorfman and Scott Jacobsen, who created a real estate platform that allows anyone to invest as little as $100 in their fund.
It is open to people who live in Roots rental units. Residents can invest their security deposits in the fund, so that when they end their leases, they can actually leave with more money than they put in — a unique proposition in a rental industry known for nickel-and-diming.
Daniel Dorfman told the AJC earlier this year that the company runs on the idea that residents and property managers can work together and avoid the tension and conflict common in tenant-landlord relationships.
Roots says annualized returns have been as high as 16%. In addition, the firm offers rebates to residents if they take good care of their homes and pay their rent on time.
The FreeRent ATL program is administered through the FreeRent Foundation, Roots Real Estate Investment Community’s nonprofit affiliate. In 2024, the program helped 31 families with rental assistance, according to the firm.
Roots says it has helped residents in the apartments and single-family homes it owns accumulate more than $550,000 in wealth.
“Dominique and Jedidia bring incredible passion to our FreeRent ATL campaign,” Dorfman said in a statement. “Their aim to close the gap on housing insecurity is aligned with our mission to help more Atlantans have their basic housing needs met.”
Roots executive Jori Mendel said some people will get rent for a full year, while others will get relief based on need.
Go to freerent.org to apply by Nov. 24.
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