Join Zoom Call Dec. 9 to Learn About City Homeless Plans

In recent months, the Lindridge-Martin Manor Neighborhood Association and our partners at the Atlanta Neighborhood Security Coalition have been working together to engage state and local leaders on shared concerns around the growth of homelessness.

Limited progress has been made, but much more needs to happen to help the homeless individuals and urban campers who find themselves making temporary homes in and around our neighborhoods. An update on recent initiatives appears below, and a special call has been set up to tell us more.

Please join the Atlanta Neighborhood Security Coalition for a Zoom call at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, to learn more about the city’s current efforts and outreach plans to homeless and urban campers in and around Zone 2.

We’ll hear from several people, but two in particular: Major D’Andrea Price, the new commander of the Community Oriented Policing (C.O.P.S.) section for Atlanta Police Department, and Cathryn March, the executive director of Partners for Home.

You may submit questions ahead of the call by sending an email to communications@lmmna.org. There also will be a limited time during the call to ask questions.

Here are instructions for the call and proposed agenda:

ZOOM LINK:

Click this link to join the Zoom meeting.

PROPOSED AGENDA:

Past efforts to deal with Urban Campers and effectiveness
APD Maj. D’Andrea Price – 10 minutes
Review of new Homeless Initiative
Partners for Home Executive Director Cathyrn Marchman – 20 minutes
Timeline for addressing the different Urban Camps
Partners for Home Executive Director Cathryn Marchman – 15 minutes
Invited: GDOT/City of Atlanta partnership and Status of Memorandum of Understanding
Atlanta COO Jon Keen/GDOT General Counsel Matt Cline – 10 minutes

RECENT LMMNA/Atlanta Neighborhood Security Coalition ACTIVITY

LMMNA board members and other members of the ANSC are pushing for the completion of a memorandum of understanding between GDOT and the City of Atlanta/APD to assist with/allow officers to pursue trespassing violations on GDOT property (under overpass bridges and hard-to-see areas). It’s in review with city attorneys at present.
There have been organizational setbacks due to COVID-19, city shutdown, changes in APD Zone 2 leadership - but now a new group of city, state, and non-profit officials have been identified and re-engaged on critical issues to our neighborhoods.
Many official and unofficial discussions with city leaders for GDOT District 6 and and APD Zone 2 acknowledge homelessness and urban camps have grown during pandemic. This recent story in the AJC will detail what is happening in the next few months.
ANSC initiatives are back on track with meetings held with GDOT, Atlanta COO Jon Keen, and non-profits in November and December 2020. We understand a new plan to address homelessness and urban campers is in the works for the areas around I-85 and Cheshire Bridge, as well as other parts of Atlanta.
The ANSC has completed an extensive data analysis, mapping of more than 15 recurring urban camps. This documentation assists with community engagement and interventions.
We have asked to coordinate with Major D'Andrea Price, the new commander of the city's Community Oriented Policing Section (C.O.P.S.) and the APD’s Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement (H.O.P.E.) team on enhanced outreach and assistance to homeless in our area.
We also are working with the city’s primary agency addressing homelessness, Partners for Home, as well as area non-profits and faith organizations.
We spoke directly with Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Jon Keen and are in regular contact with his office on current issues. He has guided us to work with the city’s official efforts around homelessness and urban campers. It’s called the Atlanta Continuum of Care. It formed in 2017 under an official charter and funnels federal funds to address homelessness. We’re still exploring what this means exactly for our neighborhood and Atlanta.

UPDATE FOLLOWING CALL

Thanks to everyone who joined the call on Dec. 9. The session was recorded, and we will offer a video or transcript shortly. A follow-up progress call is in the works for the first week of March 2021.

We are especially thankful to Cathryn Marchman and Maj. D’Andrea Price for their frank discussion with us on Dec. 9 and their careful explanation of their efforts. Please know there are many residents, non-profit agencies, and city officials working diligently to address challenges around homelessness in our city.

For Lindridge-Martin Manor and our area: Multiple parties are working on interventions to help. In particular, our region of the city is now on the GDOT/Partners for Home planning schedule for homeless and urban camper interventions.

Next steps: Interventions and outreach for public assistance is currently planned for recurring camps for unsheltered individuals at the following locations and dates.

Cheshire Bridge/Sydney Marcus Buford – 1/7/21
I-85 Viaduct /State Road 13 Viaduct from Piedmont to P'tree Creek – 1/14/21
Buford Sidney Marcus – In planning for Q1 2021
Morosgo/Piedmont – 2/25/21

These camps will have trained professionals visit and make assessments of the situation at each location. Then, multiple forms of help are offered, including federal CARES funding set aside to help locate individuals into hotels or temporary housing.

There are multiple moving parts to all this, and we have a long way to go to address this extremely complex and delicate situation. All interventions of any kind must follow Continuum of Care guidelines, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has also issued guidance saying the city cannot "close camps" during the pandemic.

Should you see a camp or or individual who may benefit from public assistance, or you see trash or debris growing from what you suspect is a homeless encampment, please contact ATL311. This is the service that the Atlanta Police Department uses to identify outreach from the H.O.P.E. unit officers.

This is going to be a multi-pronged affair into 2021. You are welcome to send any questions to communications@lmmna.org.

*Photo Credit: This photo was published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and shows urban camp near Pryor Street in Fall 2020. Photographer is Alyssa Pointer.