Georgia Family Struggles with Housing Instability

Frequent moves take heavy toll on children's health and education

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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The Godfrey family in Stone Mountain, Georgia has experienced housing instability for years, moving between homes, hotels, and even living in their car. Mother Jaimie, 35, struggles to find stable work and affordable housing to provide a safe home for her three children - Na'Kaya, 14, Junior, 12, and one-year-old Kylie. The frequent moves have taken a heavy emotional and academic toll on the children, with Na'Kaya experiencing anxiety and Junior acting out in school. As the family faces another potential move when their lease ends, the story highlights the growing housing crisis in the U.S. and its disproportionate impact on low-income families and children.

Why it matters

Housing instability and the threat of eviction have become major issues for families across the U.S., especially in fast-growing cities like Atlanta where rents are rising sharply. Children in unstable housing situations often face serious developmental, behavioral, and academic challenges, yet their struggles remain largely invisible in the broader housing crisis. This story puts a human face on the problem and underscores the urgent need for more affordable housing and support services to help vulnerable families stay housed.

The details

The Godfrey family has been forced to quickly vacate two houses and were evicted from a third. They have couch-surfed with acquaintances, lived in basements and bounced around extended-stay hotels, slept in their car before it was repossessed, and crammed into a grimy rooming house. Mother Jaimie has struggled to find steady work that can cover the rising costs of rent, food, and childcare as a single parent. The family's frequent moves have taken a heavy toll on the children, with Na'Kaya experiencing severe anxiety and Junior acting out in school. Both have fallen behind academically due to chronic absenteeism.

  • The Godfrey family's lease on their current home in Stone Mountain is up in March.
  • In 2024, the family's housing instability reached a peak, with the children experiencing around 25 different homes.

The players

Na'Kaya Godfrey

The 14-year-old daughter of Jaimie Godfrey, who has experienced severe anxiety and academic struggles due to the family's housing instability.

Junior Godfrey

The 12-year-old son of Jaimie Godfrey, who has behavioral issues and falls behind in school due to the frequent moves.

Jaimie Godfrey

The 35-year-old single mother struggling to find stable work and affordable housing to provide a home for her three children.

Sherri McCoy

A church friend who runs the local non-profit mutual aid society Blessing Bags of Warmth and has been helping the Godfrey family pay rent and access other assistance.

Melanie Sithole

The principal of Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy, one of the Atlanta schools that has an eviction-prevention program embedded to help keep students housed.

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What they’re saying

“KK asks me: 'Why do we move so much? Do they not like us?' I tell her: 'Mommy's just having a hard time.'”

— Jaimie Godfrey, Mother (The Guardian)

“I haven't really seen anything that makes me feel, like, safe. When I'm with my Mommy, Sissy and baby sister, I feel safe. That's the only time. When all of us are together.”

— Junior Godfrey, Son (The Guardian)

“It's almost impossible to find your way out of poverty these days. The system is built to hold them down because embedded in our support system is this belief that if people are poor, it's their fault.”

— Kate Barrand, President and CEO of Horizons for Homeless Children (The Guardian)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This story highlights the devastating toll that housing instability and the threat of eviction can take on children's health, education, and overall well-being. It underscores the need for more affordable housing options, stronger tenant protections, and comprehensive support services to help vulnerable families like the Godfreys stay housed and thrive.