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Athens Homeless Coalition unveils coordinated‑entry overhaul, flexible housing fund and supportive‑housing push
Summary
The Athens Homeless Coalition presented plans to upgrade coordinated entry, stand up a flexible housing fund and pursue permanent supportive housing; commissioners raised questions about a separate LIHTC proposal for Peter & Vine and sought greater community engagement.
Michael Beam, executive director of the Athens Homeless Coalition, told the commission on March 11 that the coalition intends to upgrade the area's coordinated entry system, launch a flexible housing fund and pursue more permanent supportive housing units.
Beam said the coalition's aim is to remove barriers and improve access to housing and prevention services. The coalition has hired a community data coordinator to aggregate client and system data and a community engagement coordinator to involve people with lived experience in decision‑making. Beam said the coalition received ARPA funding through December 2026 and plans to use that funding to staff operations and seed a flexible housing fund to pay short‑term vendor costs that clear financial barriers preventing immediate housing placements.
On coordinated entry, Beam said the coalition has built a locally tailored, trauma‑informed assessment tool to replace an older national tool; the tool is shorter, more equitable and designed to expand referral points beyond traditional HUD providers (schools, clinics, police, faith organizations). Beam said the coalition has a pilot and case‑staffing conference model ready but is awaiting legal review before launching.
Beam and staff said they are participating in Georgia’s Supportive Housing Institute and working with partners to develop a project that would include permanent supportive housing as part of a larger affordable housing development. Commissioners and attendees raised concerns and asked questions about the Peter & Vine proposal, which several speakers said involves low‑income housing tax‑credit financing with a developer partnered with the Athens Housing Authority and Advantage Behavioral Health. Commissioners sought clarification about community engagement and how supportive housing units would be managed; Beam said eligibility requirements, supportive services and project design are under discussion and that the coalition advocates for the highest feasible quality of housing and services.
Commissioners asked about sustainability after ARPA funds expire in 2026; Beam said the coalition is actively pursuing federal grants and other funding sources and prioritizing sustainability planning. Commissioners also requested summaries of the coalition's listening sessions and additional coordination with existing providers; Beam said the board’s lived‑experience committee had conducted 22 listening sessions and prepared a summary report that can be shared with the commission.
