Demolition of Bowen Homes Marks Turning Point for Atlanta

By Jim Burress

Atlanta, GA – A large Caterpillar crane pulls a mix of concrete and yellow brick to the ground.

The now windowless duplex resists at first, but eventually the giant claw wins.

In the mid 1930s, Atlanta became the first US city to build housing projects.

"That was the right solution at the time."

Renee Glover is president of the Atlanta Housing Authority.

"President Roosevelt wanted to do it on volume. They were eliminating terrible wooden shanties and slums, and he wanted to do a jobs program because it was right after the Depression. So it worked probably for a good 20-30 years."

But by the early 90s, Atlanta had a higher percentage of residents living in public housing than any major US city. Crime, drugs, and despair became reality for many who lived here. But for some, it was still 'home.'

"I stayed out here 11 years, and that's where I met my best friend at. Right."

Former residents Terrance Bowen and Kenyatta Veasey smile, each holding a souvenir brick from the demolition. Terrance now lives nearby in a newly-constructed apartment complex.

"They're real nice. Spacious. Carpeted. Shower. A lot of things this didn't have."

Ambivalent about seeing their old homes torn to rubble, both agree Bowen Homes' time had passed.

Others, like Dianne Mathiowetz, wince. With no public housing, those in need now get a housing voucher. She says that solves little.

"They have to go out into the private market, find a landlord, turn this voucher in, which is only good for a year. They have to pay their own utilities. If they fall behind, they lose their voucher."

While the Atlanta Housing Authority agrees there is no easy answer to the issues of poverty, executives point to residents like Bowen and Veasey who are happier and breaking that chain.

By this time next year, the authority says the first US city to have public housing projects, will be the first to completely get rid of them.

Jim Burress, WABE News.