The median rent for a three-bedroom property in the Atlanta metropolitan area for Section 8 is $1,158 in 24 out of 29 counties -- higher than the single-family median market rent in 83 percent of the region, according to data provider RentRange LLC.
Still, Jean Barner, one of Moore-Newsome’s clients, is among the Atlanta voucher holders having trouble finding a house. She’s seeking a bigger home for her family of seven members to rent next month after getting custody of her 7-year- old grandson.
Barner, 47, obtained Section 8 assistance in 2008, after breast cancer left her unemployed and with more than $50,000 in medical bills. She’s said she’s been turned away by large landlords who told her there’s nothing available for Section 8 tenants.
“A lot of owners with nice houses won’t rent to us,” Barner said. “They won’t even look at us. If half these landlords just give us a chance, they’d have someone to take care of their houses instead of them sitting vacant.”