The Atlanta Voice is inviting residents across the city to help shape its upcoming year-long journalism initiative focused on one of the region’s most pressing issues: housing affordability.

The publication will kick off Rooted, a solutions journalism series examining the impact of rising housing costs on communities of color and working-class residents, with a free community forum on May 7 at 6 p.m.

Rather than beginning with reporting, The Atlanta Voice is starting with listening.

The forum, organized by Chia Suggs of The Atlanta Voice, will bring together renters, homeowners, seniors, and essential workers to share their lived experiences navigating Atlanta’s housing landscape. Attendees will also have the opportunity to raise questions and concerns they want explored in the series.

“For 60 years, The Atlanta Voice has served this community. With Rooted, we’re continuing that legacy by making sure the people most affected by this issue help guide the conversation,” Suggs said.

The event is designed to be interactive and community-driven. Chia emphasizes that it will not follow a traditional panel or lecture format. Instead, it will center on open dialogue, allowing participants to speak directly about the challenges they face, including rising rents and property taxes to displacement and access to affordable housing.

Insights gathered from the forum will directly inform the publication’s reporting over the next 12 months. The series aims not only to highlight the scope of the housing crisis but also to explore potential solutions and elevate voices that are often underrepresented in mainstream coverage.

Atlanta has experienced rapid growth in recent years, accompanied by increasing housing costs that have disproportionately impacted communities of color and working families. Through Rooted, The Atlanta Voice seeks to document those realities while identifying pathways forward.

Community members interested in attending the May 7 forum are encouraged to register in advance. The event is free and open to the public.

https://tix.theatlantavoice.com/e/solution-journalism-community-forum

As the series begins, organizers say the message is simple: the community’s voice will lead the way.

“This is where the story starts,” Suggs said. “With you.”