September 11, 2024 | Grace Lutheran Church
On September 11, VHDA hosted its second round table on homelessness following January’s first round table that was prompted by business and resident concern throughout 2023. This time VHDA provided an opportunity for stakeholders to get updates first hand to decide what is working, not working, and the next steps going forward.
It started with an update from Kay Stephenson and Officer Stanio on the status of Kristy Keheley, who has been encamped in front of the vacant Bridal Suite location in Atkins Park for a little over a year now. She was arrested for obstruction and disorderly conduct. Officer Stanio attended her hearing for the city offense and reports she will serve 30 days in city jail with an order to not return to Virginia Highland for another 150 days, or approximately February 2025. She is expected to return due to her history of being in the northeast Atlanta area for over a decade. Atlanta PAD, Policing Alternatives and Diversion Program, said they will follow up and offer services while she is being held.
Kristy Keheley has a conviction record of aggravated assault with intent to rape and through the most recent process she has been reordered to officially register as a sex offender. Registered sex offenders are not permitted within 1,000 feet of child care facilities, churches, schools, or parks. If she returns to Virginia Highland, please call 911.
Next, Intown Cares’ Brad and Princess educated us on the process taken if someone experiencing homelessness is willing to accept services, including being added to the housing queue and weekly meetings with service providers. Unfortunately, not much can be done if they refuse service. Like most of the organizations in Atlanta collaborating to reduce the amount of people without homes and reduce time spent without a home, Atlanta has taken a Housing First approach. In fact, Brad recommended the book, “Homelessness is Housing Problem-How Structural Factors Explain US Patterns” which examines different major cities, stereotypes, and barriers to show housing supply as the number one driver for homelessness.
All of the nonprofit and city representatives agreed that more funding to housing and wrap-around services at the city and state level would be extremely beneficial.
Partners for Home reported that there are currently about 2,800 people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta. Intown Cares said that even though more people are being housed than ever, there are also more unhoused than ever before. Unfortunately, the system is not yet focused on proactively keeping people out of homelessness, instead they only enter the system once they are houseless.
Tracy Woodard of Intown Cares shed light on the high barriers incurred with Atlanta shelters, including unknown real-time bed counts, mandatory valid ID, negative tuberculosis and covid tests, sobriety, and/or undesirable hours/mandatory stays. She also mentioned that they choose Virginia Highland because it is safe and/or they rely on nearby services. For clients in our area, she leans toward the Clifton Sanctuary shelter.
It was great to learn more about the recently launched plan by Mayor Andre Dickens and city council to commit $60 million to support unhoused residents, which boasts itself as a stepping stone to secure more rapid housing, targeting an additional 500 units by the end of 2025. The key: permanent supportive housing with onsite services available and convenient.
Virginia-Highland Security Patrol President Kay Stephenson also reminded us of the redistricting that will take effect in January 2025, which will expand district 6’s representatives to include Liliana Bakhtiari and Amir Faroki.
So what are we doing, and what more can we do?
We left the meeting with action items by stakeholders.
You can find notes from January’s first roundtable here on our website.
APD - Zone 6 Quality of Life Officer, Officer Stanio
Intown Cares - Executive Director, Brad Schweers
Intown Cares - Director of Homeless Services, Princess Futrell
Intown Cares - Program Manager, Tracy Woodard
PAD 311 - Deputy Director, Denise White
Partners for Home - Chief Program Officer, Caprice Brown
NPU-F - District 6 Chair, Debbie Skopczynski
Virginia Highland Security Patrol - President, Kay Stephenson
Virginia Highland Civic Association - President, Leah Matthews
Virginia Highland Civic Association - Parks Chair, Scott Nichols
Landlord, Lynn Dewitt
Landlord, Diana Drake
Business Owner, Highland Tap and Fontaine's
City Church Eastside - Founder and Pastor, Scott Armstrong -
City Church Eastside - Communications, Jared Nest
Grace Lutheran - Pastor Adam Ellsworth
