In Macon, solving homelessness is a community effort.
Whether it be due to a loss of a job, domestic violence, or mental instability, homelessness is an ever-present issue in the United States. In 2021, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs reported that approximately 172 people experienced homelessness in Macon. It’s something the city has devoted time, money, and energy to alleviate. Between nonprofits, community development efforts, and federal funding, millions of dollars and large amounts of resources are poured into the issue every year.
While homeless advocates say there is never enough money when it comes to fixing homelessness or poverty, they say collaboration helps greatly.
“The majority of everything that we do is based upon partnerships,” said Wanzina Jackson, manager of the Economic and Community Development department, which oversees a large portion of the tax dollars allocated for housing insecurity. “I mean, we can’t do any of this by ourselves.”
Macon has several sources of funding to deal with homelessness, including its allocation of public dollars from the county the state, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Macon receives three types of funding designated for housing efforts from HUD annually: the Community Development Block Grant funds, the Emergency Shelter/Solutions Grant and funds from the HOME Investment Partnerships Program. These are managed through the city’s ECD department.
Macon’s HUD proposal for Fiscal Year 2024 totals just more than $3.3 million with approximately $1.8 million attributed to CDBG, $1.3 million to HOME and $159,452 for ESG.
“There’s been significant investment in both Mayor (Robert) Reichert administrations and Mayor (Lester) Miller’s administration in permanent supportive housing, affordable housing and homelessness,” said Rev. Jake Hall, who is the director of the United to End Homelessness initiative, spearheaded by the United Way of Central Georgia.
However, Hall said that for homeless individuals, navigating these funds can be complicated and confusing.
“Some of these programs have been running for a very long time,” Hall said. “This is a business where you need to work yourself out of business quickly and effectively.”
OVERVIEW
Macon-Bibb receives state funding through the Balance of State Continuum of Care run by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. This is how the majority of counties in Georgia address homelessness. The county is required to file a consolidated plan every five years to inform HUD of how they plan to spend the funds.
The Consolidated Plan is carried out through Annual Action Plans, which provide a concise summary of the actions, activities, and specific federal and non-federal resources that will be used each year to address the priority needs and specific goals identified by the Consolidated Plan. Grantees report on accomplishments and progress toward Consolidated Plan goals in the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER).
According to Hall, these funds were designed for emergency sheltering, rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing up to housing choice vouchers, formerly known as Section 8 affordable housing.
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