I am writing to ask Georgia Vincentians to urge their representatives in the state Senate and House of Representatives and who serve on the Senate Rules Committee to vote against HB 61, which would put vulnerable families living in extended stay motels at a higher risk of facing homelessness.
We have previously asked you to contact your legislators on the Senate Public Safety Committee. Unfortunately, this bill passed out of that Committee favorably. It is now before the Senate Rules Committee and we are asking for your advocacy to prevent it from being voted upon favorably by the Rules Committee, which will land it onto the Senate floor for a vote.
- The affordable housing crisis in Georgia has left many low income households with no viable alternative but to live in extended-stay motels as their primary residence—often for months if not years at a time.
- Under current law these households are treated as tenants entitled to a dispossessory eviction process, which provides them with basic legal protections and due process.
- HB 61 seeks to remove these rights and allow extended stay motels to eject these people through an immediate lockout, regardless of the length of their residence. The proposed ejectment process has no notice and provides no due process to the residents, who can have their property seized and be arrested for criminal trespass if they do not immediately vacate the motel residence.
- Removing these safeguards will create severe hardships increasing the risk of sudden homelessness and disrupting the lives of vulnerable families, including children. Sudden lockouts destabilize families, causing the loss of medications, essential documents, jobs, and children’s school connections. With no time to plan, families often end up living in cars or on the street, further straining the homeless system.
Please take immediate action to have your voice heard.
Advocacy Requested: Urge Georgia State Legislators to VOTE NO on HB 61.
Thank you!
Denise Fisher
Council President, SVdP Georgia