Nearly all of Fulton County Housing Authority board has resigned following Channel 2 investigation

The Fulton County Housing Authority is facing more resignations and more allegations after a Channel 2 Action News investigation revealed accusations of money mismanagement, sexual harassment, and other issues.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Sophia Choi has learned that all board members resigned except for two holdouts.

Housing Authority Board Chairman Antavius Weems is one of them. He spoke with Choi on Wednesday saying he’s the one who alerted the federal government about problems with the program.

“I’m so excited that I can’t tell you how happy I am that this is happening because now the attention is being set on fixing the system,” Weems said.

But Fulton County leaders believe Weems needs to go.

“HUD suggests strongly that we reset. That we clean the slate. That we bring on a new board,” Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts said.

The effort to clean house at the Housing Authority comes after complaints from residents, workers, and former board members.

“It’s a combination of things. The sexual harassment, the misuse of funds, the staff not being qualified,” Pitts said.

HUD gives Fulton County’s Housing Authority about $7.8 million a year. Most of the money is slated toward vouchers for nearly 2,000 families in need to offset rent.

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Channel 2 Action News was first to share a letter HUD sent to Fulton County saying in part, “The recommendation for the corrective plan is to procure a third party to manage their program.”

“The current staff lack the experience in their current roles to correct the deficiencies,” the letter continued.

The letter does not mention any crimes.

Weems, a board member since 2018, said the issues began in 2017.

But Sherrika Bellamy, a former housing authority manager said Weems added to the problems by creating a hostile work environment. She also told Choi that Weems forced her to use federal money to pay people who did not have a contract with the housing authority.

In May, Bellamy went before the Fulton County Commission with her complaints as a whistleblower. She said she was fired the next day.

Her termination letter, signed by Weems, said she was fired for being “insubordinate in your behavior toward the board of commissioners.”

She has now filed an EEOC complaint along with other former employees.

Attorney Amanda Farahany, who represents those former workers told Choi, “This is exactly what whistleblower protection is for someone like her to come forward, make a complaint, and not lose her job.”

Channel 2 Action News also spoke to a former tenant who said the housing authority did her wrong.

Jennifer Gates said it accused her of not paying rent and eventually evicted her from her Sandy Springs home in 2016.

She contacted Choi after seeing our initial investigation all these years later.

“I know I paid,” Gates told Choi. “I’ve been telling them for so long that somewhere, something went wrong. I saw the story on the news, and it just broke me because I was like, ‘That is what I’ve been saying for years.’”

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