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InTown Cares expands outreach model; adds staff and neighborhoods in Atlanta
Summary
InTown Cares described a five-step outreach model to prevent and reverse homelessness, said it expanded to five council districts, added staff and partners, and requested continued funding to sustain and grow coverage into Southwest Atlanta and other neighborhoods.
InTown Cares presented its quarterly update to the Community Development Human Services Committee, detailing a five-step outreach model for engaging people experiencing homelessness and reporting program expansion into additional neighborhoods.
Brad Schweers, executive director of InTown Cares, described the group's five-step approach: outreach and engagement, enrollment in services, navigation to obtain documentation and benefits, placement into appropriate permanent housing, and stabilization after housing placement. He said the organization emphasizes building trust through repeated engagement and partners with other providers, including Mercy Care and mobile shower providers, to deliver medical care and basic services.
Schweers said the program expanded from an initial four council districts to five and increased staff from four full-time outreach workers to six and a half, adding a half-time housing support case manager to assist people transitioning into housing. He introduced Shona Shaw as the new director of home services. Schweers also highlighted dedicated case managers, including Michael Nolan and Cody Wallace, who do door-to-door canvassing and business outreach to build relationships in neighborhoods where InTown Cares operates.
Councilmembers praised the model and pressed for expansion into Southwest Atlanta (Districts 10 and 11). Schweers said the pilot's funding is expiring and that InTown Cares is in discussions with the mayor's office about renewed funding; to expand into new neighborhoods the organization would need additional resources to add case managers. Councilmember Juliana Bakhtiar invited colleagues to meet and review the East Atlanta model as an example for expansion.
Schweers noted the program coordinates with PAD for rapid responses and emphasized that InTown Cares is designed to complement, not replace, other systems such as the Continuum of Care. He said the program collects data on engagement, enrollments and service outcomes and offers training and educational sessions for neighborhoods and businesses to explain how to help people experiencing homelessness appropriately.
The committee received the update; members expressed support and asked InTown Cares to return with funding proposals to expand coverage.
