Although the Georgia unemployment rate continues to slowly drop, there are still an estimated 409,000 Georgians who are out of work, making job security an ongoing issue. Atlanta’s Mayor, Kasim Reed is well aware of these numbers and is taking the reigns on the problem. The mayor has teamed up with organizations such as the United Way of Greater Atlanta, Hands-On Atlanta and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, to launch the Atlanta Homeless Registry.
The sole purpose of the registry is to establish a database of individuals living on the streets and in shelters. The registry will measure vital data pertaining to health, age, and the length of time an individual has been homeless in an effort to prioritize housing needs.
The ability to track the number of people, who are homeless, plays a key role in a state’s ability to maximize federal aid. Census numbers are used to determine the amount federal money municipalities receive, and every uncounted person, means fewer federal dollars. The registrar would serve as a resource, identifying those who may not be able to standup and be counted.
The creation of the Homeless Registry is a first in Atlanta. Mayor Reed has made his goal for the project crystal clear, aiming to have 800 of Atlanta’s unfortunate in permanent housing by the end of 2013.
“It concerns me deeply that every night thousands of homeless individuals are sleeping on Atlanta’s streets with nowhere to go and no hope for the future. My administration is committed to identifying the specific needs of our homeless population and matching them with available resources. The Street Homeless Registry is the first step to make that a reality, but we need hundreds of volunteers for this effort to be successful,” says Mayor Reed who is urging residents to volunteer. -christian johnson
All interested individuals can go to http://www.unshelterednomore.com/registry/ .
