Atlanta City Officials Say Progress Being Made on Homelessness

Over the last 100 days, Atlanta officials helped place 320 chronically homeless people into housing. It was part of a challenge through a national effort called the 100,000 Homes Campaign.

Separately, Atlanta has been working since last April on a goal of housing 800 homeless people by the end of this year.

Susan Lampley, the director of Atlanta’s Unsheltered No More initiative, says including those placed during the 100-day challenge, the city is almost at its goal – it’s up to 701 homeless people housed.

“Part of the challenge before was the lack of coordination. I think we’ve made leaps and bounds with that,” said Lampley.

She said the city’s role has primarily been lining up resources. For example, the federal government makes available vouchers to veterans that include rental assistance and long-term support services and case management. The state has a more modest program for special needs individuals, veteran or not.

Lampley says the vast majority of the city’s 701 homeless placements have been housed through those two programs, in partnership with local nonprofits and shelters.

“The heavy lift was really the partners. They were on the ground. They were out on the street. They were finding units. They were looking through their organizations for resources and restructuring contracts,” said Lampley.

According to the Pathways Community Network Institute, there are roughly 5,400 homeless people in the city of Atlanta. When you include Fulton and Dekalb counties, the number increases to about 6,700. Those counts have remained fairly consistent over the last several years.

Lampley, whose salary is paid for by a three million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, believes a realistic goal for the future, once the city’s short-term goal of 800 is reached, is to house a thousand homeless individuals per year. 

“I think now it is really supporting that coordination in the new partnerships with resources, the biggest gap being long-term support services,” said Lampley.

She says on average it cost between $15,000 to $18,000 per year to provide those services to a chronically homeless individual.

Lampley says the city is hoping to help raise at least a half million more by the end of the year to reach its goal of 800 individuals housed.