As the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on residents, Atlanta faces a mounting challenge with its homeless population, which has seen an uptick for the second consecutive year. A report released by the city indicates nearly 2,900 people are now living in shelters or on the streets – a 7% increase from the previous year. This statistic, revealing a disconcerting trend, was made available through the city's winter census.
The most concerning aspect of this increase is the number of people found to have been sleeping rough, without any semblance of a shelter. Their numbers have startlingly risen by a third. "We were at a very low 67% utilization of emergency shelter this year," Cathryn Vassell, director of Partners for Home, told WABE. Despite the availability of roughly 600 emergency beds, many remain unused, highlighting a disconnect between the needs of the homeless population and the resources available to assist them.
This year's count, although higher than the two previous years, still falls below the numbers reported before the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Following a surge in federal assistance and a commitment to housing support, there was a dramatic drop in homelessness during 2022, which has unfortunately begun to reverse. The annual survey, conducted every January across the nation, adheres to the federal definition of homelessness, which notably excludes individuals temporarily residing with friends or family.
The city openly acknowledges the possibility of an undercount in these results. A predominant cause for the low shelter occupancy might root in the differences found across the rules governing shelter admissions, coupled with a lack of widespread awareness regarding the services at the community's disposal. "A significant portion of those counted in the survey had not used the city’s system of services before," Vassell explained. Many among the homeless identified as "first-time homeless," with a notable number reporting their last permanent zip code from within Atlanta or its surrounding metro area.
