The county’s Homelessness Advisory Group received 11 applications requesting a total of $6.53 million in funding, but only $2.83 million has been made available by ACC commissioners. That leaves commissioners with some potentially difficult choices.
The advisory group recommended substantial funding for a number of local organizations, including Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, Project SAFE, and Family Promise of Athens.
Applications were spread across three strategies, low-barrier shelters, supportive services, and unsheltered initiatives.
The committee recommended three program applications receive no funding due to “a lack of organizational capacity and experience managing federal funding, and unclear program design.”
The committee suggested eight other program applications receive funding, with most of them receiving 100% of the funding they requested.
The Mayor and Commission are set to vote on the recommendations on May 7th.