Fewer Homeless, But Not Enough Shelter

A federal report shows Georgia's large homeless population shrank between 2007 and 2008, but found there was not enough shelter space available statewide and more than half of Georgia's homeless go unsheltered. The 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Thursday, found there were 19,095 homeless people living in Georgia in 2008. That's down from 19,639 in 2007. The report also found Georgia was one of only eight states where the majority of homeless were unsheltered. It found 54 percent of Georgia's homeless were typically unsheltered, but said warm weather may encourage homeless to sleep outdoors. According to the report, there are 13,936 beds available for homeless statewide.

(Associated Press)

Atlanta United Way Nears Fundraising Goal

United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta says it has raised almost all of the $82 million the charitable organization set out to raise through its current fundraising campaign.

So far, the organization says it has $80.5 million toward the goal, which was announced six months ago.

The organization's new theme urges would-be donors to "live united" by showing their concern for less fortunate neighbors through cash and volunteering.

The organization recently has focused on placing homeless in supportive housing and expanding a statewide hot line for the impoverished.

(AP)

Economy hobbles aid to homeless

Beneath the glowing red Coca-Cola headquarters sign, case worker Hylda Jackson bargains with one of Atlanta's homeless.

Jackson wants to know if Harry Byrd would like his own apartment. If he says no, he'll remain among the 750,000 homeless sprinkled across the nation's streets and shelters each night.

In Atlanta and other cities, a sense of urgency has settled over the efforts of advocates such as Jackson.

The recession is catching many of the nation's largest cities in the middle of pioneering 10-year plans to drastically reduce the number of chronically homeless and channeling them into apartments with built-in case workers.

"It's the start of tough times," said Protip Biswas, executive director of United Way Atlanta's Regional Commission on Homelessness.

Biswas is asking his own case workers to nearly double their load.

Atlanta's 5-year-old program is considered one of the most successful - it's created 1,600 units of supportive housing for the chronically homeless. Of 750 people recently tracked through the program, 90 percent remained housed after a year.

In turn, chronic homelessness is down 16 percent in the metro area.

(AP)

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Macon makes homeless sweep

Macon police are cracking down on the homeless. During sweeps yesterday, people living in tents and under bridges were directed to city shelters. The sweeps followed complaints from residents troubled by the tents along the Ocmulgee river walk and people under bridges near downtown. Officials from the Macon Rescue Mission outreach center were on hand to provide information about substance-abuse treatment and 24-hour residency. Other efforts to aid homeless in Macon include shelter space planned a women's shelter planned for the estimated 1,000 female homeless in the city.

(Associated Press)

Shelter kitchen opens in Atlanta

The beds are warm in the homeless shelter at Peachtree and Pine Streets, but dinner often is another matter.

The midtown Atlanta shelter -- among the state's largest -- has lacked a kitchen or even a microwave oven to cook meals. Instead, it depends on local churches to prepare, store and transport enough food to feed the nearly 1,000 people it serves daily.

The shelter on Friday dedicated "Feast," a kitchen and dining room that will enable shelter volunteers to prepare food on site and serve it in a family style environment.

The kitchen also will serve as a training ground for homeless volunteers looking for a new vocation.

Food will come from local food banks. Anita Beaty, executive director of the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, which runs the shelter, said a rooftop garden eventually will provide
fresh herbs for hearty meals.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about the homeless.

(AP)

Carrolton food initiative wants to feed more

An innovative food initiative in west Georgia looks to expand after its successful trial run over the summer.

Several groups hope to expand the community garden project to provide food for charitable organizations.

Organizer Mike Gilroy is project director for a sustainable-agriculture educational program called The Growers School.

Gilroy and other members of the West Georgia Community Food Initiative worked to create the Buffalo Creek Community Food Project.

By the time all of the summer crops had been harvested, the garden yielded more than 1,000 pounds of fresh produce for the Carroll County Emergency Shelter.

Shelter director Martha Boyce says the fresh produce the shelter received provided great relief over the summer to those in need.

Besides Gilroy, members of the West Georgia Community Food Initiative include representatives from groups such as the Carroll County Cooperative Extension Office, the Carroll County Master Gardeners, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and others.

(AP)

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Panhandler meters unveiled

Atlanta unveiled a new kind of sidewalk meter today. They don’t collect money for parking, they collect change for pandhandlers. The blue and yellow meters resemble regular parking meters, but are designed to encourage tourists and others to insert their change rather than give it to panhandlers. The money collected will be distributed to homeless service agencies.

Homeless to get $7 M in state aid

The State of Georgia is giving over $7 million dollars in state and federal funds to help Georgia's homeless. Officials at the Department of Community Affairs say 181 agencies throughout the state will get the funds.

The monies are to support running and development costs, and will cover a wide range of related housing support services.

Don Watt, director of the DCA's office of housing and special initiatives says the aid,

..."will fund both operations and services of emergency shelters and transitional housing facilities."

10 homeless and health care organizations in Columbus, Americus and Butler will get over 300,000 dollars of the state and federal assistance.

In Columbus, Kim Elise Jenkins of the Open Door Community House says the aid will go for homeless women:

“The money that we receive from the Department of Community Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development all go to help the case management program and the DCA money specifically goes to help us provide housing, food and supportive services for homeless women who live with us here in our transitional facility.”

Jenkins says their ultimate goal is to provide the women with sustainable income and permanent housing.