Should there be a designated space reserved for Habersham’s homeless population?
Blake Foster, president of nonprofit Transform Habersham, believes there should.
Foster delivered a plea for Cornelia’s commissioners to address homelessness during the public comments segment of a regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Stats
There were 36 homeless persons counted in Habersham County about eight years ago, according to a 2017 report by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, though, in alignment with nationwide trends, that number has likely risen since.
A record-high 653,104 people (a 12.1% increase since 2022) experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2023, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
From 2019-2023, according to the organization, the number of people who entered emergency shelter for the first time increased more than 23%. And in 2023, the organization reported that a record high 256,610 people (or 39.3% of all people experiencing homelessness) were unsheltered, while more than 50% of individuals experiencing homelessness were unsheltered.
‘Our hands are tied’
Foster, who formed the nonprofit just this year, spoke for around eight minutes as he urged commissioners to take action on the issue.
While homelessness could be considered a countywide issue, Foster contends a significant number of Habersham’s homeless population is in Cornelia.
“The city of Cornelia has spent millions on city parks – playgrounds, water parks, dog parks, a skateboard park – but (there’s) no space for homeless to sleep in their tents temporarily,” Foster said. “…there are 60-100 homeless (people) in Habersham County at any given time.”
Foster went on to cite a letter he said he received in correspondence with Cornelia Police Chief Jonathan Roberts, whose sentiment seemed to emulate Foster’s to some extent.
In the letter, read aloud to commissioners, Foster said Roberts stated homelessness continues to be a problem “because our area has no immediate resources to assist these members of our community, and the go-to response is to contact law enforcement.”
“Although we do our best to handle these situations as delicately as we can, our hands are tied in most situations,” Foster read aloud. “As with every law enforcement agency in the area, we are operating well below allowable manpower – which adds to the strain of trying to assist in finding resources (for) those in need…in the (over) 20 years I’ve been in Cornelia, our homeless population has never grown at the rate it is growing now.”
With a lack of resources to curb the problem, Foster said Roberts concluded the letter by stating: “(The department’s) only answer is to run them off or send them to jail…”
Answers?
Potential solutions, Foster suggested to commissioners, could come in the form of a “homeless park,” a space of “temporary shelters” where Habersham’s unsheltered population can live in “tents” or “portable container-type” units approved by the city.
Other avenues, Foster argued, could be through “pallet shelters” – an abundance of small units built as “villages” that serve as living spaces for the unhoused.
“I am asking for your help…to develop a comprehensive plan to meet homeless needs,” Foster said. “I think it would be beneficial to all of us to have a go-to person from the city administration to work with me and other leaders of organizations that serve the homeless.”
Cornelia Commissioner Don Bagwell said his fear is the potential that a designated space for the homeless could attract vagrant newcomers to Cornelia en masse.
“I think the great fear that communities have is that – when you create a positive environment for homeless people – you wind up like Seattle or Portland…and you have this explosion of homelessness,” Bagwell said.
Before concluding his comment, Foster acknowledged Bagwell’s statement as a legitimate concern.
Cornelia Mayor John Borrow said he’s open to exploring possible solutions to address homelessness down the road, though he believes that conversation would be best had as a community-wide discussion with the county and the cities.
“I’m so grateful for Mr. Foster and his heart for the homeless population,” Borrow said. “I think the homeless issue is bigger than just Cornelia, and I think it needs to be addressed with municipalities, the county, private individuals, and the churches and charities. I’m certain there is a solution somewhere, and I’m grateful that he brings those issues in front of us as a focal point for something that we need to address.”
