The Augusta Commission’s Homeless Task Force held it tenth meeting on Nov. 18 and got the first look at a survey being conducted. Results will be used to help structure the action plan that will be presented to the commission.
Daniel Evans, planning development supervisor from Augusta’s Housing and Development department, said the task force has received just over 500 responses so far. The majority came from Richmond County residents, but some responses came from Columbia and Aiken counties.
“We need thousands of responses to have anything that comes close to a representative sample,” he said. “We need at least 2,000 to really give us the temperature of what the community prioritizes inside of our approach to homeless services.”
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The first numbers show housing identified as the most pressing need. Permanent supportive housing is the most identified need, followed by emergency shelters.
The survey also asks respondents to identify what they feel is the biggest need in terms of facilities. The largest number of responses pointed to a need for a 24-hour center with a day center for mental health needs coming in second.
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“I think we had some really good feel as a community for where the need is, additional services like health clinics and access to public restrooms, those are certainly important,” he said. “But there is a case to be made that it’s easier to integrate into your mainstream community services in those areas.”
MORE: Groups Split Up the Search for Answers to Homelessness in Augusta
The initial data shows people from all walks of life are taking the survey. The majority are citizens with no connection to or involvement with non-profit or public service organizations.
Evans said one thing they still need is for private businesses to respond to the survey.
“There are 70 some businesses that are directly impacted on Broad Street alone. But as we’ve discussed in this context, there’s businesses all across Augusta,” he added.
The survey is at this website.
District 1 Commissioner Jordan Johnson, co-chairman of the task force, said the task force will meet again Dec. 16. The target is to present the action plan to the full commission by January 2022.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
