Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission approved the opening of a new encampment in 2021. The "Cooterville" homeless campsite was dismantled last year, residents of the previous campsite preferred to stay outdoors, shelters in the city were already overcrowded and so, the idea of 1st Step Encampment was born. 1st Step became fully operational this month.
It has a 55-bed capacity, running water, portable toilets, an outdoor kitchen, and recreational rooms. The program works with Advantage Behavioral Health Systems to place residents in long-term housing. Athens Alliance Coalition (AAC) is the non-profit serving the encampment. (4) people have been placed in permanent housing, (5) additional are scheduled to move into their apartments within the month, and (15) people have secured jobs.
These are huge strides for the city of Athens and outstanding work from the ACC, mayor, and commissioner's office.
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