While most eyes at Tuesday’s Mayor and Commission meeting will likely be turned to a $500,000-plus package of public safety enhancements and possible protests over Athens-Clarke County’s policies towards undocumented migrants, commissioners are also expected to vote on whether to allocate $550,000 to the Salvation Army to expand its capacity to accept unhoused people in its shelter.
The measure, part of a larger package of spending to beef up the county’s response to a growing homelessness problem, sparked debate at a meeting in January. Commissioner Jesse Houle questioned the process, which skipped the usual request for proposals that the county government follows.
“We’re rushing in this case, skipping the bidding process that would normally happen and just direct awarding $550,000 to the Salvation Army for a proposal that’s fairly underdeveloped,” Houle said.
Other homelessness service providers also criticized the process. In a letter to commissioners, leaders from Project Safe, Family Promise, Bigger Vision, and the Athens Area Homeless Shelter called it “confounding” that they were shut out of the process afforded to the Salvation Army and asked ACC officials to allocate funding to all shelter programs in the county.
While commissioners approved the measure at that January meeting, it has taken since then for a contract to be drafted and for county staff to work with the Salvation Army to provide more detail about the scope of services and how the money would be spent. That contract is what commissioners are expected to vote on Tuesday night.
According to the Salvation Army in documents prepared by county staff, the $550,000 allocation would provide ten additional beds in the Salvation Army’s shelter, as well as an additional 20 cots for temporary overflows caused by severe weather. A portion of the money would also go towards other upgrades, including new security cameras, new bunk beds and locker space, and pay raises for monitors and case workers, who currently make $9-$17 per hour.
At the January meeting, some commissioners also voiced concerns about the role of District 7 Commissioner John Culpepper, who serves on the Salvation Army’s board and played a role in drafting the measure. Culpepper recused himself from January’s vote.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with WUGA
