Mayor’s Housing Task Force and Affordable Housing Initiatives in Savannah
Brynn Grant, Pres. UWCE, Mayor’s Housing Task Force
Martin Freddy, Director Savannah Housing and Neighborhood Services
(Due to issues with the registration system, we will not be issuing tickets for this event –
all Hamiltons and Abigails members and their guests are welcome to attend)
Mayor Van R. Johnson, II appointed the Housing Savannah Task Force in August 2020 to develop an action plan that addresses local housing challenges and opportunities. The Task Force found that housing costs had outpaced incomes at a rate of at least 2:1 over the past 30 years, contributing to about 21,000 (40%) Savannah households being unable to afford quality housing. This included many households earning up to $50,000 annually. The Housing Savannah Action Plan, completed in July 2021, identified five major strategies and 43 action items for our community that, if implemented, will help make housing more affordable and available.
- Savannah’s housing challenges and why they impact all of us
- The Housing Savannah Action Plan–five major strategies and 43 action items
- Ten year production and investment goals
- The new Housing Savannah NGO
- How people, organizations and businesses can help
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| Martin Fretty has helped develop and manage housing and neighborhood revitalization programs in Savannah, Macon, and Chattanooga for the past 37 years. He has served as the Director of Savannah’s Housing & Neighborhood Services Department since March 2000. Martin received a Master of Architecture from McGill University (Montreal) in 1984 with an emphasis on affordable housing and neighborhood development. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Kentucky in 1982. Martin has sought to use his architecture education to help improve the lives, housing andneighborhoods of persons of limited means. | Brynn Grant is the President and CEO of United Way of the Coastal Empire (UWCE). Prior to joining UWCE, she spent 19 years in various posts at the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) including Chief Operating Officer. In these roles, Grant worked to make the Savannah region as competitive as possible in an effort to create, grow and attract business, and create jobs. She also led the startup of the World Trade Center Savannah, where she was Vice President, and she has also held executive positions in marketing and development in the private sector and in non-profit organizations. In 2020, she was appointed by Savannah Mayor Van Johnson as the Chairperson of the Mayor’s Housing Task Force, which completed its work in late 2021. Grant is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. She is recognized as a leader at strategizing growth and development and has won numerous awards and citations for her work. |
