Interagency Council on Homelessness unveils five-year plan

 

THE Savannah-Chatham County Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) has released its first-ever Five-Year Strategic Plan to End Homelessness.

Created in May 2022, the ICH brings together local government, business leaders, and community stakeholders to build an effective response to homelessness.

In early 2023, the ICH conducted an Intensive Needs Assessment. This included interviews with stakeholders and families experiencing homelessness.

Stephanie Kaple, Executive Director of the ICH, shared the Implementation Guide and additional information regarding the upcoming plan. 

According to a homeless count done in January, 579 people are unsheltered on any night in our city. In Savannah, more than 72% of homeless people are African American.

The disabled make up 23%, while the chronically ill make up 7%. Further statistics show that 74% of the homeless do not qualify for housing. 

“One goal of the ICH’s five-year plan focuses on increasing opportunities and access to affordable housing and low-barrier shelters for people experiencing homelessness by creating at least 86 low-barrier shelter beds in Chatham County," Kaple said. "This includes looking at how we can increase access to our current beds.”

Additionally, the plan identifies a need for 1,036 permanent supporting housing units and 3,918 permanent housing units to address shortages. The root causes of homelessness are often considered to be mental health issues, substance abuse, and unemployment.

ICH’s plan will work to develop and strengthen formal programs to help prevent homelessness and ensure early intervention for at-risk residents while investing in workforce training opportunities, identifying, and eliminating transportation barriers, and offering financial support. 

“One of the main priorities of the ICH, established in the five-year plan, is to focus on housing access and to develop and fund emergency shelters. The ICH aims to provide a swift and effective response to the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness while working towards long-term solutions,” Kaple said. 

Supporting community-wide efforts to advance policies that prevent and end homelessness is an important goal of the ICH. Policies to increase funding to address homelessness in Chatham County will be implemented.

Also, the Policy Committee will conduct lobbying with local, state, and federal representatives around priority issues. 

Over the next five years, the ICH will establish an integrated system so that homelessness becomes rare, brief, and non-reoccurring. Any county resident that is facing homelessness will be safely sheltered or permanently housed and swiftly connected with support services. 

“The ICH’s five-year plan makes data collection and evaluation a priority to show the progress towards our goals, the successes of our programs, and allows the ICH to demonstrate the value of services by showing a direct connection to the reduction in those experiencing homelessness,” Kaple said.