ATLANTA (AP) — Last year, Sechita McNair and her three kids were evicted from their apartment in a rapidly gentrifying Atlanta neighborhood.
For many families, losing their home means changing schools, too.
Federal law protects evicted families, letting them stay in their schools even if they move out of the residency zone. But once McNair and her sons found housing in the Atlanta suburb of Jonesboro, those protections would last only until the end of the school year. She was determined to find housing in her old neighborhood before school restarted, so her sons could have the stability and resources of staying in their old schools.
Securing a “semi-affordable” apartment in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, with a landlord that would rent to a single mom with a fresh eviction on her record, proved nearly impossible.
Sechita McNair, left, talks to her oldest son, Elias Washington before he walks into Midtown High School for the first day of school on Aug. 4, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair, left, talks to her oldest son, Elias Washington before he walks into Midtown High School for the first day of school on Aug. 4, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Bills and ride share payments lay on a kitchen table at Sechita McNair’s home on June 7, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Bills and ride share payments lay on a kitchen table at Sechita McNair’s home on June 7, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Sechita McNair arrives at a new apartment in Atlanta to find a door that she says looks like it was forced open, Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair arrives at a new apartment in Atlanta to find a door that she says looks like it was forced open, Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Derrick McNair-White looks down in the kitchen after spilling cereal on the floor, June 7, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. McNair-White was adopted by his aunt, Sechita McNair. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Derrick McNair-White looks down in the kitchen after spilling cereal on the floor, June 7, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. McNair-White was adopted by his aunt, Sechita McNair. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Last school year, and over the summer, McNair and her kids drove back and forth between Jonesboro and their life in Atlanta. When her newer car was repossessed and she couldn’t afford to fix her older van, they used public transit – a trip that sometimes took nearly two hours.
Malachi McNair-Nesbitt waits at the front door of his family’s rental home in Jonesboro, Ga., before taking public transit with his family to Atlanta on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Malachi McNair-Nesbitt waits at the front door of his family’s rental home in Jonesboro, Ga., before taking public transit with his family to Atlanta on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Sechita McNair tries to wake up her son Malachi McNair-Nesbitt early in Jonesboro, Ga., so he can travel to school in Atlanta on Aug. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair tries to wake up her son Malachi McNair-Nesbitt early in Jonesboro, Ga., so he can travel to school in Atlanta on Aug. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Sechita McNair helps Derrick McNair-White get ready for school while Malachi McNair-Nesbitt watches a video early in the morning on Aug. 4, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair helps Derrick McNair-White get ready for school while Malachi McNair-Nesbitt watches a video early in the morning on Aug. 4, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Elias Washington argues with his mother, Sechita McNair, on a sidewalk in Jonesboro, Ga., as they wait for a bus to Atlanta so Elias can attend summer school at Midtown High School, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Elias Washington argues with his mother, Sechita McNair, on a sidewalk in Jonesboro, Ga., as they wait for a bus to Atlanta so Elias can attend summer school at Midtown High School, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Derrick McNair-White, left, yawns next to Sechita McNair as they ride the city bus to Atlanta on June 11, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Derrick McNair-White, left, yawns next to Sechita McNair as they ride the city bus to Atlanta on June 11, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Derrick McNair-White, left, walks with Sechita McNair to catch the bus to Atlanta on June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Derrick McNair-White, left, walks with Sechita McNair to catch the bus to Atlanta on June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Sechita McNair, center, rests in the summer heat as she repairs her family van, while her adopted son, Derrick McNair-White, right, plays in the driveway of their rental home on June 6, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair, center, rests in the summer heat as she repairs her family van, while her adopted son, Derrick McNair-White, right, plays in the driveway of their rental home on June 6, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Sechita McNair, works on her broken van as her son Malachi McNair-Nesbitt lays on her in the driveway of their rental home on June 6, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair, works on her broken van as her son Malachi McNair-Nesbitt lays on her in the driveway of their rental home on June 6, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
The family’s rental in Jonesboro is in a neighborhood of brick colonials and manicured lawns. McNair realizes it’s the dream for some families, but not hers. McNair wants her children to go to well-resourced schools. Atlanta spends nearly $20,000 per student a year, $7,000 more than the district in Jonesboro. More money in schools means smaller classrooms and more psychologists, guidance counselors and other support.
She also wants to live in a city with resources like those in Atlanta. She sees opportunities in its libraries, e-scooters, bike paths, hospitals, rental assistance agencies, Buy Nothing groups and food pantries.
The city of Atlanta is seen behind Sechita McNair as she leaves her new apartment near Midtown on Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The city of Atlanta is seen behind Sechita McNair as she leaves her new apartment near Midtown on Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Sechita McNair, center, and sons Derrick McNair-White, right, and Malachi McNair-Nesbitt, left, have breakfast on the steps of Midtown High School on June 11, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair, center, and sons Derrick McNair-White, right, and Malachi McNair-Nesbitt, left, have breakfast on the steps of Midtown High School on June 11, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Elias Washington, left, laughs with his mother, Sechita McNair, right, in family therapy as they play a card game on June 9, 2025, in Decatur, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Elias Washington, left, laughs with his mother, Sechita McNair, right, in family therapy as they play a card game on June 9, 2025, in Decatur, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Malachi McNair-Nesbitt climbs in a viewing window as his family attends family therapy on June 9, 2025, in Decatur, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Malachi McNair-Nesbitt climbs in a viewing window as his family attends family therapy on June 9, 2025, in Decatur, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Elias Washington holds Malachi McNair-Nesbitt in the kitchen with their mother, Sechita McNair, left, on June 7, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Elias Washington holds Malachi McNair-Nesbitt in the kitchen with their mother, Sechita McNair, left, on June 7, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
McNair, an out-of-work film industry veteran, drove extra hours for Uber and borrowed money, eventually securing a lease in the right Atlanta neighborhood. She met her goal: Her kids could return to the same schools.
For a while, she wasn’t sure she felt safe giving up the house she rents in Jonesboro. For starters, she wasn’t even sure it was safe to spend the night in the Atlanta apartment.
The front door looked like it had been forced open, she wanted more smoke detectors, and the fridge and oven didn’t work.
But paying rent on two homes is expensive. After failing to keep up with the Jonesboro rent, she’s preparing to leave that house before the landlord sends people to haul her possessions to the curb.
She has promised herself she’d never let that happen to her kids.
Sechita McNair cleans mold, toys and trash off the floor near the kids’ rooms in their rental home on June 7, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair cleans mold, toys and trash off the floor near the kids’ rooms in their rental home on June 7, 2025, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Sechita McNair reacts as the utility company tells her they cannot turn on the water in her new Atlanta apartment due to a previous renter’s unpaid bill on Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Sechita McNair reacts as the utility company tells her they cannot turn on the water in her new Atlanta apartment due to a previous renter’s unpaid bill on Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
Elias Washington rests on a bed left by a previous tenant in the new apartment in Atlanta on Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Elias Washington rests on a bed left by a previous tenant in the new apartment in Atlanta on Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Add AP News on Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share
Read More
____
This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
