SAVANNAH, Ga. () – A local organization debuted an exhibit Friday to shed light on what they are calling a housing affordability crisis in Savannah.
The exhibition titled “Priced Out” is a collaborative effort between Housing Savannah and SCAD Serves, the community outreach initiative of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
The project highlighted the experiences of local people facing housing insecurity in Savannah.
“I applied for disability. We were forced out of our apartment as Shaun’s income wasn’t sufficient,” shared Shaun and K-lee, who are part of the installation. “We learned of a job opportunity in Savannah, but it didn’t pan out once we arrived. So, we’ve been residing in a motel.”
Those featured in the exhibit said they are not able to secure safe, comfortable housing in Savannah for a variety of reasons.
For some, it’s an unexpected illness that drops their household down to one income.
“Our food assistance was recently terminated,” Shaun and K-Lee explained. “As a server at the Waffle House, I’m only earning three dollars an hour. This has led me to pick up extra shifts, taking on both cooking and serving duties, in an effort to balance our finances somewhat.”
For others, generational struggles make it hard for them to afford stable housing.
“I went to college twice,” Ashley, who was also featured in Priced Out exhibit, said. “I still can’t get my foot in the door. I still can’t get a leg up. Anytime, I go somewhere, I think Savannah might not be it, but this is my home. Why don’t I have the right to live here?”
However, according to Executive Director of Housing Savannah Laura Lane McKinnon, the struggle for affordable housing is not unique to just the participants in the exhibit.
“Far too often we think of that as an individual issue, something that perhaps we’ve done something wrong, we’re struggling. But it really is a systemic issue,” she said.
SCAD Serves and Housing Savannah put together a documentary to highlight the everyday realities of the participants’ lives. In the exhibit, their testimonies were woven together like a quilt.
“The rent for low-and mid-income people is based on the average income for the entire town,” Paula, a participant featured in the documentary said. “That doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t compute.”
Only a snippet of the documentary was shown at Friday’s exhibit, but the whole piece will be unveiled to the public soon.
You can view the “Priced Out” exhibit from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Saturday.
K-lee and Shaun shared their GoFundMe with . If you would like to donate you can click or tap here.
