Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Homeless task force unveils mailboxes and a free ‘community care’ transit-ticket pilot
Summary
The Homeless Task Force reported new services: 50 secure mailboxes for clients in active case management and a pilot of single-use community care bus tickets for partner agencies to distribute to clients.
The Augusta Homeless Task Force told commissioners it has placed 50 secure mailboxes at 1235 Green Street to provide a stable mailing address for people who are unhoused or in transition, and is launching a pilot transit-ticket program with Augusta Transit to help clients reach services.
Naomi Stanton, chair of the task force, said the mailboxes are intended for people in active case management through partner organizations including the Salvation Army, Marion Barnes, Department of Community Supervision, Department of Public Health and Augusta Partnership for Children. Stanton said keys will not be distributed to clients; access will be limited to case managers to protect clients' mail until an approved proof-of-address and case status are verified.
Stanton and task force partners also described a Community Care ticket pilot developed with Augusta Transit. The ticket is a paper, single-use bus ticket designed to transport clients to listed service providers (mental-health clinics, Department of Community Supervision, medical district providers and other partner agencies). Tickets will be numbered, collected by bus operators through the fare machine, and returned daily to Augusta Transit for usage tallies. Agencies participating in the pilot will distribute tickets to clients under active case management; misuse may result in loss of transit privileges for the user. The pilot will start after the Masters tournament and the task force said it will monitor use and address glitches as they arise.
Task force leadership also reported a recent ‘pit count’ of unhoused people that showed roughly 1,100 people within the city during the most recent count; commissioners and staff asked the task force to share the strategic plan passed in 2022. Commissioner Jordan Johnson and others emphasized affordable housing, transportation barriers and mental-health services as the top needs identified by the task force's SWOT review.
Commissioners commended the task force for outreach and suggested that the task force provide monthly updates on metrics, and invited commissioners to visit meetings and participate in the new teen leadership (TLC) program that will engage youth in homelessness issues.
