Location of homeless housing units concern for Albany city commissioners

ALBANY — Advocates for the homeless see a location for a shelter convenient to services residents would need to access as a plus, but for some Albany City Commission members, locating such a shelter in the downtown area could prove problematic.

Commissioners heard a report Tuesday on a nearly $1.8 million grant the city received as part of the American Rescue Plan Act out of $5 billion allocated through the legislation to address homelessness. Depending on costs, the project could include 20 to 30 units that could house one to three adults each.

There was no annual spot count of the homeless held last year due to COVID-19, and the results of this year’s count are not yet in. But some officials say the need may be as great as ever.

“I’ve been involved in this for 15 years, and we have more encampments all over the city,” David Blackwell, chairman of the Albany-Dougherty Homeless Coalition advocacy group, said. “They’re everywhere. The school system has hundreds of students, according to their definitions, that are homeless. I feel like (the local homeless count) is going to be high this year. This is the first time we’ve encountered this many encampments in this community.”

After consulting with area organizations, city staff has recommended providing housing through small housing units, tiny homes, Katrina cottages or pallet shelter units. Another possibility is renovation of an existing hotel, but that option seems cost-prohibitive based on the amount of money available, Blackwell said.

During the last homeless spot count held in 2019, 144 individuals were located who were living on the street on a particular night, although officials suspect that is a vast undercount. It also did not include those living in encampments that officials were not aware of at that time.

“There are less than 100 shelter beds in this community,” Blackwell said.

Among the issues raised during the commission’s discussion Tuesday was whether the addition of housing would encourage people from other communities to move to Albany.

“I know we have a homeless problem,” Commissioner Bob Langstaff said. “Once we invest this amount of money in solving our homeless problem, how do we know we’re not just attracting people from nearby cities?”

That’s already the case, Blackwell responded. People from across the country, those leaving prison and individuals from surrounding counties already make up a portion of the homeless population in Dougherty County.

“There are no homeless services in Lee, Terrell, Calhoun, Worth, anywhere around us,” Blackwell said, explaining why homeless from other areas land in Albany.

Langstaff also said he had a problem with locating a facility downtown because of the investment the city has made in the area. While the facility will go in one of the six wards, an individual commissioner may have an issue with one location but be OK with placing it at another location.

“I don’t want to shoot ourselves in the foot by putting something in place that’s going to limit any development downtown,” he said. “I think the city commission should have the final say on where it would go.”

No site has been selected yet, but the facility needs to be close to locations such as the Salvation Army for those who need to go there for meals, Blackwell said.

Commissioner Chad Warbington, who also said he saw the potential for conflict over the location of the facility, said his preference would be to renovate an old hotel in order to achieve two objectives simultaneously: cleaning up a blighted area and providing housing.

“I think that’s getting some bang for your buck,” he said. “(Even) if the city has to put more money into it, it’s killing two birds.”

Blackwell said he had no problem with letting the commission have the final say on the location.

The city has until September 2030 to spend the funds, but the timeline for completing the project could be less than two years, Phyllis Brown, deputy director of the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development, said during an interview following the presentation to commissioners.

“We’re hoping the project, once we get the proposed plan and get board approval, can start within 12 to 18 months,” she said.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]