The City of Hinesville’s has been finishing its count of its homeless population through the Georgia Balance of State Point In Time effort.
The Point In Time count takes a one-night survey of the city’s homeless, both sheltered and unsheltered, and is followed by a seven-day service count, which looks at the number of people using services offered to the homeless. The most recent count of the city’s homeless population put that number at 44.
This year’s one night count was held January 22.
“It is a snapshot of the homeless in the community,” Shauntay Harris told city council members earlier this month.
An effective count helps the city’s homeless prevention program secure appropriate funding from the state and federal governments.
The count of sheltered homeless includes those put up in hotels by such organizations as the Red Cross and Family Promise and through the city’s homeless prevention program. It does not take into account those who are staying temporarily with family or friends who otherwise might be homeless, Harris said.
The 2019 count and the predictive model used placed Liberty County’s homeless population at the time at 24, with 38 total and emergency transitional beds available, according to the Georgia Balance of State Continuum of Care Point in Time Homeless Count.
In addition to the one night count, the continuum of care also mandates a week-long survey of the homeless at locations where they might seek services, such as libraries or food banks.
According to the data from the 2019 statewide count, the prevailing reasons why someone is homeless stems from a domestic violence situation or mental illness, followed by substance abuse, chronic homelessness and being a veteran. Chronically homeless is defined by the presence of a disability and length of homelessness of at least one year or having experienced homelessness four times in the past three years, according to the state DCA’s 2019 report.
Current City Manager Kenneth Howard recalled starting the city’s homeless program 24 years ago. It started with one grant, a three-year pilot grant, for $211,000.
“The council saw the benefit of having a homeless program,” Howard said.
Now, the city invests over $500,000 a year in its homeless prevention program, Howard added.
The city’s homeless prevention department has five fulltime staff members whose responsibility it is to address homelessness.
“We were the first municipality in the state with an in-house homeless program,” Howard said. “It is unprecedented in the state of Georgia.”
“The city is doing a lot with the homeless population,” said Council member Diana Reid. “We have done a lot.”
Council member Jose Ortiz also agreed that the city’s homeless prevention program is working.
The city’s program includes financial literacy instruction, education and more to help those clients work toward self-sufficiency. It also works with two local hotels for temporary housing and has a rapid re-housing program that does not apply to subsidized housing.
“It is a prevention approach,” Howard said. “But there is a lot to be done and a more we could do.”
The city’s efforts to combat homeless also are expected to be a topic at an upcoming day-long council workshop.
