[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6659423,"mediaKeyId","2470541-15a132c4b2dbca065ca97b30a60ea382","parentId",2470541,"title","Savannah interagency council unveils five‑year strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness","audioSeconds",745,"startMs",3971000,"endMs",4716000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2470541-15a132c4b2dbca065ca97b30a60ea382&start=3971&end=4716","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2470541-15a132c4b2dbca065ca97b30a60ea382/thumbnail_3971000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6659423/Savannah-City/Chatham-County/Georgia/Savannah-interagency-council-unveils-fiveyear-strategic-plan-to-prevent-and-end-homelessness","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659423-836b3fe8e5c4c7c12f5e8f814bf253de/orig.mp4?Expires=1773342670&Signature=AoAxTmT0WifY080S~V6SUK9EIP1PJz9Am5FBV1ezrPf72ec1XcAfvJRK8Wt32vgHwxCLUzhsjLap3uis7tc-XArx0ZdQ-lc2Xa9dBizWAkzzb8rZkz9qJcKc2Sbr64ssU9CoZgolNofjcvGRYs00lSI0ZovHG~ETn7Gs6sVhGvVN66Z1NIjHMXn-iYnEKgSKSVoIUVKc9SY1Ytvxg7V3kt3vL0VBa8zOw5NfZic4juRIeeK82I9MZN~5~V9Yl8mseJh8UkLrnF-JL7ZE2S4dmlUNmcxI8XSauJd1Nr6-x8AChWqzWnXunkuPrc3H3CAO8m2JkHPN-pSHLUoy9NmjbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Savannah GA","date","2025-03-01T06:53:40.79Z","article","The Savannah Chatham County Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) presented a five‑year strategic plan to the Savannah City Council and asked the council to support state legislation that would formally recognize the local ICH structure and amend the language governing the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless.

Stephanie Capel, executive director of the Savannah Chatham County Interagency Council on Homelessness, said the plan’s vision is to achieve \"functional zero\" — making homelessness rare, brief and non‑recurring — and described six goals that together target prevention, shelter capacity, workforce and policy alignment.

Capel said the planning process began in September 2023 and included five phases of work with data reviews and community engagement. The plan incorporated input from 65 key stakeholders and 51 frontline workers, surveyed about 105 people experiencing homelessness and held focus groups that included 23 families. \"We put the voice of those who are experiencing homelessness at the front of our work,\" Capel said.

Six strategic goals and next steps
- Establish an integrated system to prevent and end homelessness, including strengthening the ICH governance role and the lead agency role of the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless (the local collaborative applicant for HUD funding).
- Address immediate needs for high‑needs residents and people living in encampments, including an encampment management policy and improved access to shelter during extreme weather.
- Increase access to affordable housing and low‑barrier shelter, prioritizing individuals with severe behavioral‑health needs, pets or couples.
- Develop and strengthen programs to prevent homelessness, including short‑term assistance to avert housing loss.
- Expand workforce opportunities, transportation and financial supports to reduce return to homelessness.
- Support community‑wide policy advocacy to prevent displacement and improve long‑term outcomes.

Karen Gwynn, chair of the ICH, asked council to formally adopt the strategic plan and to consider two legislative changes: (1) state legislation to establish the ICH under Georgia law and (2) amended language related to the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless to clarify roles. Gwynn said Chatham County has already supported the changes; the council was asked to endorse the local request so the region can present a unified position to the state.

Jennifer DeLong, executive director of the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless, explained roles in federal funding oversight. The city manager and attorney clarified that the Continuum of Care (CoC) is a HUD designation that requires a governance table (the ICH) and a collaborative applicant (the homeless authority). The proposed state changes, officials said, are intended to clarify responsibilities between those two bodies rather than to merge them.

Policy work already in progress
Capel noted several items already under way: the ICH membership recently accepted an encampment management policy intended to balance public safety and connections to services; four work groups were formed to pursue the plan’s six goals; and staff are coordinating shelter responses for extreme weather. Capel and Gwynn said the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless has increased outreach hours and coordination with SPD's HOPE team in downtown locations.

Council action requested but not taken
At the workshop the council did not vote on formal adoption of the strategic plan or legislative requests. City staff said they will bring the strategic plan to city council for formal adoption and that the city manager will provide a recommendation to the council. Gwynn and Capel said they sought the council's support for the legislative measures and adoption of the encampment policy in the near term.

Criminalization and enforcement
In response to a council question about enforcement during St. Patrick’s Day weekend, the mayor said the city will not criminalize homelessness and that enforcement will focus on criminal behavior rather than on a person's housing status. Officials reiterated that outreach teams are expanding hours to engage and offer services rather than to criminalize being in public spaces.

What’s next
City staff and the ICH plan further outreach to stakeholders and neighborhood leaders and will return to council with the strategic plan and any related ordinances or resolutions for formal consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Savannah City Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Savannah‑Chatham interagency council presented a five‑year strategic plan aiming for ‘functional zero,’ an adopted encampment management policy and a request that council back state legislation clarifying local governance of homelessness programs.","taxTitle","Savannah City, Chatham County, Georgia","taxId",12640,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6659428,"Savannah officials outline intensified security, road closures and enforcement for St. Patrick’s Day festival",3236,730000,3966000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2470541-15a132c4b2dbca065ca97b30a60ea382&start=730&end=3966","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2470541-15a132c4b2dbca065ca97b30a60ea382/thumbnail_730000.jpg","/articles/6659428/Savannah-City/Chatham-County/Georgia/Savannah-officials-outline-intensified-security-road-closures-and-enforcement-for-St-Patricks-Day-festival","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659428-595a4849d18e5c36674521bb7a760df5/orig.mp4?Expires=1773342670&Signature=htnz1~bW84SFZi3tYfabHWH1JsVQ9FtgZ66jfz6GGOwFbwhtrcjoJo1SM-GQlcZfBhUSlowYQJdo5Upog9yORImUdOifhaVOyukoqmhDGTczm8MuYd~UvIBIAqCXz~tZB5cGt2dOHC0ztRrncE0GDmsJs-D9KWwCE8J-WWonr8QlxZOtnymZKtwr41zD5elCx4BpPQ8DGtaYCWwm3F-AuFVtOQ3jDWKJeJh0Tux5BgLnq3EqYrP-GeqLEpC0IC1bm~npb5aywQdIuJIuVW7Gl3UkkRpVlCxDFxeMny01MhhrLWINlXzIFBADxoVxTEkLx4wD~gcYcp9BuR0MsTsbsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City officials briefed the Savannah City Council on stepped‑up security, street closures and enforcement for the multi‑day St. Patrick’s Day festival, including water barricades, expanded mutual aid and an interactive public map that will show closures and active incidents.

The briefing, delivered by Chief of Planning and Economic Development Faye DeMassimo and Sergeant Jason Pagliaro of the Savannah Police Department, outlined measures the city said are intended to reduce the risk of vehicle‑borne attacks and improve crowd management during the four‑day event. The city manager said he issued an order creating a Major Special Events Task Force to coordinate public‑safety planning.

DeMassimo said the task force — co‑chaired by her and Sgt. Jason Pagliaro — brings together city departments and external partners to clarify roles and to prepare for roughly 40 major special events the city holds each year. \"Special events ... are about public safety, preparedness and our ability to respond to incidents,\" the city manager told council.

Sgt. Jason Pagliaro, identified as the Savannah Police Department special events planner, described specific security steps the department will deploy. \"As of right now, there are no credible threats,\" Pagliaro said, adding that weekly threat assessments will come from federal, state and local partners including the FBI, GEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. Pagliaro said his team worked with GEMA and other partners to review the SPD operations and security plan and that recommendations from those reviews were incorporated.

Key security and operations measures described
- Vehicle and perimeter protections: The city will place water‑filled barricades at the bases of ramps to River Street, along City Market and at key parade intersections, supplemented by trash and sanitation trucks and police vehicles to block vehicular access. Pagliaro said some locations will use a serpentine arrangement of water barricades with police vehicles closing remaining gaps to allow emergency access.
- Mutual aid and specialized units: The Department of Public Safety will deploy 100 troopers; Chatham County Sheriff’s Office will send 50 deputies; additional regional canines, GBI bomb squads and a CST National Guard unit from Virginia will perform air‑ and chemical/radiological surveys; and SWAT quick‑reaction forces will be staged for rapid response.
- Bomb and radiation sweeps: Canine teams and bomb squads will sweep the full parade route. Georgia State Patrol is providing a radiation‑detection team to sweep the route days ahead and on parade morning, Pagliaro said.
- Surveillance and command: The city will use its Fusus camera system to aggregate camera feeds and body‑worn video into the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC). The ECC will show officer locations via body‑worn camera telemetry to guide rapid response.
- Public information and mapping: Development Services created an interactive public map that will populate when the ECC activates; it will show parade routes, bleacher locations and road closures, and serve as an incident management tool.
- Alcohol and vendors: The city is extending an open‑container area on Monday only (March 17) inside a defined footprint from MLK to Truman Parkway north to River Street and south to Victory Drive. The festival ordinance zone will continue to prohibit outdoor dispensing of alcohol from tents or street vendors; alcohol must be purchased inside licensed establishments. The Revenue Department’s alcohol compliance unit will perform random compliance checks in coordination with the Georgia Department of Revenue and will operate enforcement shifts through the event weekend.

Operations timing and logistics
- ECC activation and closures: The ECC and command post will go active Friday at 4 p.m. and remain active through Tuesday at 4 a.m., with limited overnight staffing gaps. Ramps and River Street will close Friday at 4 p.m.; overall demobilization is scheduled that Tuesday morning.
- Parking and transit: City garages will offer a $25 flat rate over the weekend. The city is using geofencing to direct rideshare pickups to designated locations; the geofence will typically be active overnight (roughly 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) on festival nights, though times will be set to avoid unintended impacts on downtown residents. The city will also coordinate with CAT and shuttle operators; one DOT shuttle on Drayton will not run on parade day.
- Sanitation and cleanup: The city will place dumpsters and portable restrooms at negotiated locations; sanitation crews will follow the parade and begin cleanup immediately after units pass to return downtown to normalcy as quickly as possible.

Enforcement and crowd control details
Judy Jones, director of the revenue department, said the alcohol compliance unit plans stakeholder outreach and enforcement. She outlined compliance‑check hours that will include Saturday into the early morning and operations on Sunday and Monday; bars will be required to comply with closure times set for each day. Jones said an alcohol stakeholder meeting will be held at the Coastal Georgia Center on March 2 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and that hand‑delivered notifications and a mailer to addresses near the parade footprint will be distributed ahead of the event.

Other operational notes and council concerns
Council members asked about bicycle access, deputy marshals and the protective value of water barricades versus concrete barriers. Pagliaro said bicycles will be allowed for transportation if properly secured but will not be permitted through crowd‑managed areas or across the parade route once barricaded. He said the city has 30 deputy marshals and will supplement staffing with additional officers and partner agencies.

On barrier choice, city staff said water‑filled barricades were selected because they are movable without heavy equipment and allow faster reopening of streets in an emergency; staff said double‑stacking water barricades provides protection comparable to concrete when placed as planned.

What council approved and next steps
There was no council vote on the event briefing. Council members thanked staff and asked that staff continue outreach to neighbors, the school district and neighborhood associations about closures and timing. City staff said updated maps and additional public briefings will be released as planning continues.

The city requested that businesses and residents review event notices, attend the stakeholder meeting, and follow the city’s public safety guidance during the festival weekend.","City staff briefed the Savannah City Council on public‑safety measures and operational plans for the multi‑day St. Patrick’s Day festival, including water barricades to deter vehicle attacks, expanded mutual‑aid staffing, an interactive public map, and targeted alcohol‑compliance enforcement.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Savannah interagency council unveils five‑year strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness

Savannah officials outline intensified security, road closures and enforcement for St. Patrick’s Day festival