ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia homeowners took to the Capitol for “HOA Day,” with many fearing they could lose their homes to their community associations.

Atlanta News First Investigates has documented hundreds of homeowners reaching out in the last year. Of those, almost half are in lawsuits with their HOA and 30% have liens on their homes. The average fine they’re facing is near $10,000, and they have no office to go to for help.

HOA Day at the Georgia Capitol began with homeowners gathering in Liberty Plaza. Dozens of homeowners pleaded with lawmakers to help.

“The frivolous fines are like your trash can from your backyard, your mailbox and your driveway should be pressure wash. And your fines are in excess of tens of thousands of dollars,” said Rose Lummus of Decatur.

“There’s no lawyers to fight for a homeowners because there’s more lawyers getting money from the homeowners association because of the financial gain,” said Rosalind Grigger of Smyrna.

Darrell Taylor of Villa Rica said his HOA wants to foreclose on his house. “We say we never got what we were promised, so why do I have to give you what you were promised?”

Even some HOA board members showed up to support reform.

“There’s some board members that are good… so we’re just trying to educate,” said Tamara Chase of Fairburn.

HOA Day was organized by Representatives Viola Davis, Kim Schofield and Sandra Scott and Senator Donzella James. The event continued with a call to action for all lawmakers to prioritize and protect Georgia homeowners.

There are several bills involving HOA oversight in both the Senate and House, but lawmakers are pushing two to the forefront: SB 406 and HB 1035. The bills would assign oversight to the Secretary of State and stop foreclosures for unpaid dues.

Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta University is partnering with Open Arms Outreach to place lifesaving materials throughout downtown Augusta using a $66,000 grant from State opioid settlement money.

Nicoll Gentry knows the importance of a second chance at life. The co-founder of Open Arms Outreach has been sober for three years after someone used Narcan to save her life during an overdose.

“I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Narcan,” Gentry said.

She co-founded Open Arms Outreach to help people struggling with addiction. The organization provides resources without judgment for those battling drug addiction.

“My life today is something I could have never even prayed for. I wouldn’t have known to pray for it,” Gentry said. “We are allowing them the open door to know, hey, there’s a resource out there that I can reach out to that didn’t judge me, that helped me stay alive.”

Two state grants totaling $66,000 will allow Augusta University to place lifesaving materials in 40 downtown businesses, 10 vape shops and 25 buildings across all five of its campuses.

They have 20 on the Summerville campus already.

The goal is to have help at every street corner, with Narcan and test strips in bars and restaurants downtown, so no one is ever more than a few doors away from lifesaving help.

Dr. Aaron Johnson, director of the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University, said the Augusta area had a real need for something that would save a life immediately.

“Public health by definition is community facing, and so we want to have a presence and a partnership with people throughout the community,” Johnson said.

The Richmond County Coroner’s Office reported 76 drug deaths in 2025, with 37 related to opioids. The county is among the highest in the state for drug-related deaths.

“It normalizes the fact that it’s okay to help somebody overdosing. It’s okay to help save somebody’s life,” she said. “I get to be a mother today to my almost 21-year-old daughter. She can count on me to do things. I wasn’t the best of the community, but I give back every day to make up for that.”

Dr. Johnson said they had their first meeting to discuss next steps and reaching out to businesses to start placing the boxes downtown.

Open Arms Outreach will refill the boxes once they’re installed and continue training people across Augusta to help save lives when there’s an opportunity in front of them.

Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – United Way of the CSRA and Piedmont Augusta hosted a public community resource fair on Wednesday.

The event was in honor of 211 Day — the annual day to raise awareness for the 211 helpline.

PHOTO GALLERY: COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR

In the CSRA, the service connects thousands of families to utility assistance, food pantries and health care resources every year.

The event was held in the Piedmont Hospital Cafeteria, 1350 Walton Way, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There were be representatives from the United Way of the CSRA, leadership from Piedmont Augusta and local community resource providers.

Organizers said the aim was to bridge the gap between residents and the essential services they need, including food, housing, and veteran support.

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