Advocates urge expansion of Georgia Housing Voucher Program to reduce unsheltered homelessness and costly crisis use

Advocates from a coalition including HouseATL Enterprise Community Partners, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Presbyterians for Better Georgia and others urged the committee to expand funding for the Georgia Housing Voucher Program (GHVP), which provides housing vouchers and supportive services for chronically homeless people with severe and persistent mental illness under a 2010 Department of Justice settlement.

Speakers presented data showing a 29% increase in Georgia’s point‑in‑time homeless count between 2018 and 2024, with a disproportionate increase in unsheltered homelessness. Advocates described GHVP as cost‑effective at reducing use of emergency and inpatient care for the target population and said housing vouchers plus services reduced crisis‑system utilization in a six‑month before/after analysis by about 64% among those housed.

They said demand for GHVP has grown (monthly lease starts more than doubled from July 2022 to July 2023 and first seven months of FY24 showed a 23% increase in people served) while average monthly subsidy costs rose roughly 74% from $652 in January 2021 to $1,133 in September 2024. They said the program was still operating as a de‑facto waiting list and that the Department of Community Affairs’ federal Housing Choice Voucher (HCV/Section 8) system has long wait lists, limiting conversions.

Advocates urged the committee to fund the GHVP at a materially higher level this session to convert eligible participants, expand voucher availability and reduce reliance on emergency departments, hospitals and the criminal justice system.

Ending: Coalition speakers asked for renewed legislative support to expand GHVP slot and subsidy funding in the amended FY25 and next year’s budget, citing the Olmstead settlement obligations and taxpayer savings from avoided crisis care.