Homeless in 2008
Technical College
where she graduated with honors
in June, 2004 receiving a Diploma in
Business Management/Supervisory
Development. In March of 2005,
Jennette was able to move into Grove
Park Village Apartments. Jennette
is still enrolled in Central Georgia
Technical College and will graduate
in June, 2008 with a second Associate
Degree in Administrative Office
Technology.
Grove Park Village
Macon, GA
Reunification
Homelessness can often be prevented
if individuals are able to reconnect
with family or other social support
systems. Over the past five years, over
8,000 people have been reunified
with their support systems through
Travelers Aid of Metropolitan Atlanta.
Next Steps
National research indicates that the
most effective strategy for addressing
homelessness is to move individuals and
families into permanent housing as quickly
as possible. Preventing or minimizing the
amount of time spent in the homeless
service system and providing services to
individuals within permanent housing
settings is more effective than long stays in
emergency and transitional shelters. This
change in our understanding of how to
best impact homelessness requires a shift
away from the traditional model of long shelter stays and two year transitional housing
programs. Strategies such as Housing First, Rapid Re-Housing, and Homeless Prevention
hold promise as better responses to the problem.
A constant challenge for homeless service providers is adequate resources, especially
for supportive services. HUD concentrates its focus on funding housing, with the
expectation that service funding will come from other sources. However, this puts
additional stress on the existing supportive services available in the State. It also makes
it difficult for service providers to help those that are hardest to serve, especially
chronically homeless individuals. Unfortunately, these are often the individuals who are
utilizing a great deal of state resources and who need help the most.
To better understand what is and is not effective in combating homelessness,
evaluations on the success of the programs is important. In SFY 2009, DCA is
implementing housing support standards which set a minimum level of service
standard and tracks the success of individuals and families utilizing the homeless service
system. It is expected that these standards and performance measurement will improve
the homeless service delivery system across the state.
Community awareness and public will are also challenges to addressing the issue of
homelessness. It is easy in suburban and rural areas to assume that homelessness does
not exist, while in urban areas, homeless individuals are seen as a public nuisance.
Increased education and awareness about the extent and causes of homelessness
would assist the communities of Georgia in coming together to address the issue. One
example of a community education initiative currently in place is the Union Mission
Homelessness 101 Curriculum in which volunteers are educated about poverty and
homelessness before they participate in volunteer activities.
A continual challenge for addressing homelessness is fully understanding the extent
and nature of the problem. We hope that this report is just the first step in increasing
our understanding of homelessness in Georgia.
Ms. Smith and SOAR
The DHR SOAR Project team first met
Ms. Smith under a bridge in downtown
Atlanta. It was 5:00 in the morning
and she had just fallen asleep after
having been awake all night due to her
crack use. Her psychiatric medication
had been stolen the night before.
She was dressed in an old, dirty tank
top and carried all of her belongings
in a ragged bag. She said that she
was ready to get off of the street and
away from the awful smells under the
bridge. Ms. Smith was very depressed
and did not have the energy to change
her clothes or go through her normal
grooming routine.
Ms. Smith has been diagnosed with
Bipolar Disorder and often experience
symptoms of posttraumatic stress
disorder. She has been using crack
cocaine for the last 20 years. The
drug gives her a momentary break
from her racing thoughts and manic
moods. Ms. Smith continuously
tries to get treatment for her mental
health symptoms but often finds her
depression and anxiety unbearable
and so she treats those symptoms with
substances. Her ability to