Alexia Ridley:
This is Athens News Matters. I'm Alexia Ridley. Nearly 400 people in Athens, Clarke County, face homelessness, according to the annual Point-in-Time report completed by the local government. The Athens Homeless Coalition was established in early 2024 and seeks to prevent and end homelessness in the area. It recently named Michael Bien as its first executive director. He sat down with me to discuss his background and goals for the organization he now leads. Here's that conversation. Thank you for joining us on the show today.
Michael Bien:
Thank you for having me.
Alexia Ridley:
First of all, can you tell us about the Athens Homeless Coalition?
Michael Bien:
Certainly. The Athens Homeless Coalition is a newly formed nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Athens.
Alexia Ridley:
Obvious, but why was it established?
Michael Bien:
Yeah, there were a couple of factors. Primarily, based on the strategic plan developed last year, it was strongly recommended to establish a separate coalition with full-time staff dedicated to addressing some of the systemic and community-level factors associated with homelessness.
Alexia Ridley:
And what are some of the goals of the organization?
Michael Bien:
Our primary goal is to reduce, end, and prevent homelessness here in our community. Our subset goals include working with service providers in the area to help increase capacity, strengthen connections and collaboration between service providers, empower people with the lived experience of homelessness to elevate their voices, and engage and empower people with meaningful decision-making power in the coalition and in our community. We also aim to improve our information sources to better understand the scale and scope of homelessness.
Alexia Ridley:
You have a master's degree in public health and started the street outreach program at Advantage Behavioral Health, which serves the uninsured in Athens and surrounding counties. How has your background prepared you for this role?
Michael Bien:
Doing street outreach, I really learned a lot about what homelessness looks like in Athens on the ground, and it also gave me the opportunity to meet the amazing partners, organizations, service providers, and individuals in our community who work tirelessly to serve people experiencing homelessness. I think my public health background served me well in my approach to big, complex, and ambitious challenges. I take an approach to identify barriers to housing or accessing other services and then address those barriers.
Alexia Ridley:
And how did you come to head this organization? What drove you to want to take the position?
Michael Bien:
Well, I've lived in Athens for over 20 years, and I love this community. I think the people are extremely important, and I've gotten a lot from this community in terms of education, arts and culture, taking classes, and social support. So it's only natural to want to give back to the community and return that to my neighbors to the best of my ability.
Alexia Ridley:
What would you say to people about homelessness in general?
Michael Bien:
Well, there are a couple of things I'd really like to share about homelessness, particularly in our community. First of all, people like to stereotype or homogenize people experiencing homelessness, and I just want to share that everyone we work with has their own story, and it's often a complex combination of issues and problems, whether it's health conditions, mental health conditions, employment challenges, or trauma, which is a significant factor in homelessness. So, it's all these complex combinations that are worth considering. Also, I want to share that a lot of times, people think there is some personal blame or finger-pointing at someone who's unhoused, and I just want to share that that hasn't been my experience. The people that I know and our unhoused neighbors that I've met have undergone a series of really difficult challenges that tend to snowball on each other. I think this is really more of a systemic issue that is happening all over our country, making it very difficult for people in certain financial situations to acquire housing and manage the many challenges they are dealing with. I believe housing is a basic human right, and it's very difficult to exit out of homelessness because it's challenging to do some of the simple things we take for granted, like applying for a job, showing up for work, attending a doctor's appointment, getting from point A to point B, or managing a health condition. These are all factors that contribute to homelessness and make it very challenging for the individual.
Alexia Ridley:
And last week, you participated in a meet and greet with the public. What did you learn from that event?
Michael Bien:
Well, it's really inspiring. Anytime I get to meet people in the community, I'm deeply inspired, and it just confirmed that people have been doing this work for years and some for decades. A lot of people are unaware of everything that goes on behind the scenes and all the work being done, and all the achievements and accomplishments that people from all walks of life and different sectors in the community are contributing to.
Alexia Ridley:
You say people are unaware of some of the things that you're doing. Can you tell us some of those things?
Michael Bien:
Well, sure. As you know, this is really challenging work, both professionally and personally. People who work in shelters or homeless day centers or in transportation or parks and leisure, and clinicians who provide healthcare and mental health services are doing really challenging work day-to-day. These small victories and small accomplishments, like when someone qualifies and exits homelessness into an apartment or makes a connection with a physician and gets some chronic illness addressed or access to prescription medication that they've done without for a long time, are the accomplishments that can change someone's life. These providers don't always get credit for their work, but I also want to include faith-based organizations, Good Samaritans, and homeowners in their neighborhoods who are doing work that typically goes unnoticed.
Alexia Ridley:
You mentioned so many people who help. How can people get involved in the Coalition's work?
Michael Bien:
That's a really great question. One way to start is to visit our website, thatsathenshc.org. That's a good place to start. Also, support the organizations and people in the community who are working in this space. Volunteer with a local organization or shelter. Donate if that's something you're interested in and capable of doing.
Alexia Ridley:
Speaking of donations, where does the coalition receive its funding?
Michael Bien:
Currently, the Coalition is funded for the next 2 1/2 years through American Rescue Plan Act funds. That funds my position, and we will also be hiring two additional positions. We're working on a pretty tight budget, and part of my responsibility is to acquire funding and sustainability to continue our work past that date.
Alexia Ridley:
And if someone is experiencing homelessness or is housing insecure, how could they reach out for help?
Michael Bien:
Fortunately, we live in a city with a lot of great resources and excellent services. That person is welcome to visit our website, again thats athenshc.org. You can email me directly, and I would be happy to connect you with the correct resources. Advantage, where I previously worked, does incredible work with street outreach, shelters, and encampments to connect people with the resources they need. Another place to go is the Homeless Day Service Center on North Avenue. Sparrow's Nest is also a day center doing incredible work.
Alexia Ridley:
Who is involved in this coalition?
Michael Bien:
That's one of the beautiful things about the coalition. The Coalition Board is a really diverse group of individuals and residents with different perspectives and experiences, and it's quite representative of the community we live in. I think a lot of the strength comes from that diversity and the breadth of experience, perspectives, and knowledge that come from that board and directly from the community.
Alexia Ridley:
Michael Bien, thank you so much for spending some time with us today.
Michael Bien:
Thank you for having me.
Alexia Ridley:
This is Athens News Matters from WUGA News.
