Homeless in 2008
Initiative. These programs
attempt to prevent ex-offenders from falling into homelessness by connecting them
with temporary housing and employment opportunities.
Coordination and Collaboration
To coordinate the various initiatives of all the State Agencies that work to
address homelessness, the State formed the Interagency Homeless
Coordination Council in 2004. The Council was able to develop the State of
Georgia Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. The Council has representatives
from multiple agencies and meets quarterly.
The Georgia Coalition to End Homelessness (GCEH) is a statewide nonprofit
and advocacy organization that provides training and technical assistance to homeless
service providers, information and advocacy for policy makers, and a Help Line for
those facing homelessness. In 2007, GCEH reported providing 460 hours of technical
assistance and training to 132 homeless service providers.
School Aged Children and
Homelessness
Homelessness has a profound
impact on children. Data from the
U.S. Department of Education (DOE)
indicates that while 87% of homeless
youth are enrolled in school, only 77%
attend regularly. Homeless families
move frequently impacting their
children. An Institute for Children
and Poverty study showed that 51%
of homeless children transfer schools
two or more times. There are estimates
that 3-6 months of education are lost
to every move.
The Georgia Department of Education
collects data from each school district
on homeless school children. In the
2007-2008 academic year, 22,888
children in Georgia public schools were
reported to be homeless.
Mitchell
Permanent Supportive Housing Beds
Source: 2007 Continuum of Care Housing Inventories
Type
Individual
Beds Family Beds
Emergency Shelter 2,638 1,337
Transitional Housing 2,519 2,338
Permanent Housing 2,318 1,493
Total 7,475 5,168
Serving Georgia’s Homeless:
2007 Statewide Bed Inventories
Local Initiatives
Two metro area planning bodies include the Regional Commission on Homelessness
in Metro Atlanta and the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless. There are
also a number of coalitions at the state and regional levels that participate in advocacy,
planning and service delivery.
A number of communities have used federal, state and local funding to create
innovative initiatives to address homelessness. Some examples of these innovative
initiatives include:
The 24/7 Gateway Se o rvice Center in Atlanta
has served more than 12,000 people over the
last two years. Gateway provides 300 beds
designated to various programs such as mental
health, employment and substance abuse.
There is also a women and children’s center
with 30 beds.
o Athens recently held the first Project Homeless
Connect Athens, based on a national model
encouraged by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.
The Athens event had over 140 attendees who received a variety of services
including haircuts, health and dental screenings, legal counseling, food stamp
applications, and AIDS/HIV testing. Almost 50 service providers participated in
the event.
o An evaluation of the Education and Community Services Engagement
Linkage program (ECSEL) was initiated in the spring of 2005 by Georgia State
University in cooperation with the United Way of Atlanta and Grady Health
System. The evaluation was conducted to assess whether the ECSEL program
improves outcomes for homeless mentally ill clients better than traditional
case management services. The ECSEL approach provides more support for
homeless mentally ill patients than traditional case management. The study
found an average net savings of ,200 per person due to improvement in
housing status and decreases in incarceration and hospitalization.12
o The Behavioral Health Services Program of
Union Mission, Inc. is provided through the
Savannah Area Behavioral Health Collaborative
(SABHC) in partnership with the Chatham-
Savannah Authority for the Homeless and
Memorial Health University Medical Center.13
The program offers mental health and
substance abuse treatment programs for
adults in Chatham and surrounding areas.
The services include diagnostic assessments,
psychiatric services, day treatment, group
therapy, community support, residential services, and