Homelessness
In March 2022 Mayor and Commission authorized $5 million in ARPA funds for homelessness initiatives. The advisory group for the Homelessness bucket is composed of members of the Athens Homeless Coalition. They are charged with creating a community‐wide five year strategic plan to address homelessness, to reduce and prevent homelessness in Athens Clarke County, and to strengthen the mental health and social service support systems for unhoused residents. In addition, the advisory group is tasked with providing specific guidance on how ACCGov can aid in transitioning unhoused residents to permanent housing including supportive housing.
In addition to the $5 million homelessness bucket two additional ARPA projects which aim to prevent and reduce homelessness have been approved. This includes the First Step Homeless Encampment, as well as the Eviction Prevention Program. More information about these projects is available below.
Funded Programs
ACCGov has contracted with Athens Alliance Coalition to operate a sanctioned homeless encampment, known as the First Step Homeless Encampment. The encampment provides a legal, low-barrier location for homeless individuals to camp, as well as connecting residents with various services and resources. More information is available on the First Step Homeless Encampment dashboard.
As of October 3, 2023, Mayor and Commission has approved a Transition Plan for the encampment in advance of the upcoming contract expiration on December 31, 2023.
The Eviction Prevention Program 1.0 was active from February through December 2022. In total 425 evictions were prevented through this program, which provided one-time rental and utility assistance to low income households at risk of eviction. More information about program outcomes is available in the Eviction Prevention Program dashboard on the ARPA data hub.
Athens-Clarke County solicited proposals from organizations interested in providing eviction prevention services through March 17, 2023. One proposal was received from Family Promise of Athens in partnership with the Ark UMC. Staff evalutated this proposal and recommended to Mayor and Commission for approval. This proposal was approved during the May 2, 2023 Mayor and Commission meeting, and is now entering the contracting process.
HOME-ARP Funds and Allocation Plan
The HOME-ARP Program provides $5 billion of supplemental HOME funds to assist individuals or households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and other vulnerable populations by providing housing, rental assistance, supportive services, and non-congregate shelter. ACCGov received $2.5 million of HOME-ARP funding. While this funding was provided by the American Rescue Plan, it is completely separate from the ARPA SLFRF funds received by Athens-Clarke County, and is subject to different regulations and timelines. The $2.5 million in HOME-ARP funding is in addition to the $5 million homelessness "bucket" designated by Mayor and Commission.
Our county’s Strategic Plan to Prevent & Reduce Homelessness and the related HOME-ARP Allocation Plan will help the local government determine the allocation of $5 million of American Rescue Plan Act homelessness funding, and $2.5 million of HOME-ARP funding, as well as any future funding related to the prevention & reduction of homelessness in our community. The full plan and a one-page summary sheet are available on the Housing and Community Development website.