Lynda Barrs, a career advocate for the homeless in Augusta, died Monday after a brief illness.
Commissioner Jordan Johnson, who served with Barrs on Augusta’s Homelessness Task Force, announced her passing Tuesday.
Johnson said early in his interest in homelessness in Augusta, he was told, “go see Lynda Barrs.”
Barrs, who was in her 70s, wrote grants for and organized the Marion Barnes Resource Center for the Homeless, which opened on East Boundary Street in 2017. The center served as an intake and referral center for Augusta’s homeless.
She remained a driving force on the task force as it unveiled a plan to address homelessness in Augusta about a year ago. The commission approved the plan, which included an initial push to build permanent supportive housing and the hiring of a homelessness response system coordinator.
“Lynda took the ball with the homelessness task force and ran It to levels I thought we would never see,” Johnson said.
Derek Dugan, sales and development director for the Salvation Army of Augusta, said in a Facebook post he’d lost his “adopted mom,” cheerleader and mentor for 25 years.
“Like she has done for the homeless for the last 30-plus years, Lynda took care of me and made sure I knew I was cared for,” he said.
The CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority announced the loss of its colleague, advocate and friend.
“Lynda was special to all who knew her and she impacted the lives of so many people,” a statement on Facebook said. “She fought bravely and wisely for what was right and good, and she cared deeply for her friends, family and community.”
