Georgia housing credit described as primary lever for affordable rental production

Laurel Hart, division director for Housing and Finance at DCA, told lawmakers the Georgia housing credit — especially the nine‑percent credit — is a central tool for creating and preserving affordable rental housing. "the Georgia housing credit is one of DCA's largest and most successful tools for encouraging private investment in the creation and preservation of affordable rental housing," she said, describing federal/state matching and the program’s pay‑for‑success design.

Hart said the program includes a 35% rural set‑aside and a rural preservation track to keep smaller county properties compliant with DCA quality standards. She cited Myrtle Terrace as a senior property example that paired housing with preventive health partnerships. Committee members pressed for maps and historical data; Hart said DCA could provide more granular lists and market studies to show county‑level distribution going back to program expansion in the 1990s.