Clifford “T.I” Harris and Tameka “Tiny” Harris have opened their first affordable housing complex with over 100 units.
On Tuesday, T.I., Tiny, Mayor Andre Dickens, and a variety of other groups unveiled 140 units at the Intrada Building oin Atlanta, Georgia.
“The arts and entertainment industry in this city has been able to collaborate and, I guess, be profitable enough to offer the community so many things that are much needed,” Harris said.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, T.I. jokingly told a story about how he used to steal within the same neighborhood that he’s giving back to.
“I’m going to tell y’all a secret. Don’t tell nobody. I got caught stealing from this Kmart,” T.I. said, while laughing, referencing a store that stood in the neighborhood. “I thought that, you know, just to offset the shame that came with that, it would behoove me to invest in the community by acquiring these properties.”
The development includes 143 apartments and 25 special units for homeless youth.
More affordable housing complexes are in the works
Since 2017, several organizations have thrown their resources together to make a safe space for families who’ve floundered financially. According to RentCafe, the average Atlanta rent is more than $1,800. And with a ZipRecruiter poll showing the average person makes $34.21 an hour, it’s clear why there’s such an emphasis on creating affordable homes.
“If everyone does a little, no one has to do a lot,” T.I shared.
“Safe, quality, affordable housing is linked to what we value,” Mayor Dickens said. “It’s not something a government can fix on its own.”
As reported by Fox 5 Atlanta, the mayor says the city has created 3,200 affordable homes, with another 5,000 under construction. His goal is to set aside 20,000 affordable housing units.