Snellville council raises alarm on youth homelessness, urged to join Gwinnett task force

Councilman Brown told the Snellville mayor and council on July 13 that he has observed minors sleeping under the stairs at The Grove and pressed the city to determine "what role should we play" in responding to youth homelessness that he described as growing quickly.

Brown cited a school‑system figure of about 398 individuals experiencing homelessness (he said that number reflects students registered in the system and may undercount migrants) and noted the county formed a Gwinnett County homeless task force in June 2026. He urged the city to send representatives or a liaison to the task force to share what Snellville officials are observing and to coordinate services.

A county child‑welfare representative (identified in the transcript as speaker 8) said runaway children are typically handled by the child‑welfare system and that protective‑custody placements and group‑home options are arranged through that system; the representative said staff would stay with children until protective custody arrived. Councilmembers and residents emphasized building trust with youth and not relying solely on uniformed police to gain cooperation.

Councilmembers volunteered to attend task‑force meetings and to coordinate community partners. Staff said the county application for task‑force participation is available online and encouraged residents interested in serving to apply.

The transcript records discussion, offers to engage, and a plan to join county efforts; no formal city policy or new funding was adopted during the work session.