The removal of Antavius Weems and Lamar White from the Housing Authority of Fulton County stands after they failed to attend Fulton Superior Court hearings in their bid to have the county’s actions ruled improper.
“If it is not appealed, it is over. We do not anticipate an appeal, given the fact that these individuals did not appear for two hearings,” Fulton County Attorney Y. Soo Jo told the Fulton County Board of Commissioners during their March 19 meeting.
The commissioners removed Weems, who served as chairman of the authority, and White, its vice chair, in July 2024 after they failed to follow the commission’s request that all members resign.
Soo Jo recapped activities from late 2023 to mid-2024 during which the commission heard man public comments alleging mismanagement and corruption at the Housing Authority of Fulton County. Those complaints culminated in June and July 2024.
She said the county and the housing authority received two notifications from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of deficiencies, lack of compliance, and a potential for troubled designation based on non-compliance. The housing authority received a score of zero out of 135 in July from HUD.
HUD recommended that the county replace the housing authority members and conduct an audit due to questions about financial records and late payments, including those for federal Housing Choice Vouchers used to assist low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled.
“In response to the HUD communications, this board requested that the housing authority board members resign to make room for a new slate of members,” Soo Jo said.
Commissioners said they were removing members and rebuilding the Housing Authority board following guidance from the federal agency that funds its projects during the July 2024 meeting.
Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts said during that meeting that all funding for the housing authority is from federal grants administered by HUD. That included program benefits, staffing, facilities, equipment, and all other administrative costs, none of which Fulton County provides or controls.
“The county’s only role in the housing authority is the appointment and removal, if necessary, of Housing Authority board members,” Pitts said.
The commission appointed four new housing authority members during the same meeting in which Weems and White were removed. Those new members – Felicia Moore, Stephen Davis, Holly York, and Lauren Waits – met days after their appointment and voted to hire an affordable housing industry consultant and moved forward on a forensic audit of the agency’s financial records.
Pitts called the current housing authority one of the best yet. He took part in a recent groundbreaking on a South Fulton County project with the authority for a project that will create 60 affordable housing units. According to a Facebook post, the third phase of the Anthem Senior Living Community at 1940 Waycrest Drive, South Fulton, will deliver one and two-bedroom units reserved exclusively for seniors. The new units will be available in early 2026.
