The April work session meeting was held at noon at the newly declared time and location of the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department, 120 W. Dougherty St. An update on all items from Tuesday's work session will be presented at the next Mayor and Commission meeting to be held at City Hall on Tuesday, April 16 at 6 p.m.
Common themes of the conference centered on community building, availability of resources to Athenian citizens, safety, and items targeting homelessness. Members of his ACCGov staff who have been developing these plans have submitted items on these topics to the Mayor and the Commission.
ACCGov's Chief Data Officer, Joseph D'Angelo, announced a “revamp” of the ACCGov Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan was designed to outline the goals, strategies, and initiatives that ACCGov will implement from his 2023 to 2025 fiscal year. This plan is tailored to address Athens' most pressing needs.
The refresh addresses and updates the plan's priority areas: behavioral health, youth development, violence prevention, workforce development, community engagement, building trust, homelessness, affordable housing and transportation. It is an object. Staff is currently working to develop a focused plan for each of these priority areas.
“I am pleased to be able to say that what has grown from the seeds you planted in March 2022 is bearing fruit across the county,” DeAngelo told the mayor and commission regarding the success of the ACCGov strategic plan. Told.
The Mayor, Board of Commissioners, and ACCGov staff are committed to continuing the success we have seen in previous plans through the end of this year and beyond. But the mayor and commission know they still have a long way to go and recognize that many area residents are still struggling.
“There are a lot of UGA students who are homeless. They go from couch to car, and from car to couch,” said District 9 Commissioner Obita Thornton. “We never talk about it. UGA never talks about it. But if we don't talk about it, this problem will never be solved. I don't see where this fits. [the plan], but I'm bringing this up in every public place and platform…and if we don't address it sooner or later, it's going to become a problem. ”
In January 2024, the Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) developed recommendations for funding the ARPA Homelessness Program.
A total of $2.83 million in funding is available for HCDD's programs. Three key strategies funded directly from these funds to prevent and reduce homelessness are low-barrier shelter units, support services such as diversion and rapid exit, and landlord-centered initiatives and employment initiatives. An increase in unsheltered initiatives covering partnerships, comprehensive street action and physical support. Rapid increase in medical services and encampment housing.
Community programs have requested funding from HCDD totaling more than $6.5 million, and assistance is needed to help HCDD cover its deficit.
