Groups prepare as business owners sign up for new homeless program

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – It’s a complex problem- keeping businesses around the Washington Road and I-20 corridor happy and finding somewhere for people experiencing homelessness to go.

During a town hall meeting on Tuesday night, Sheriff Roundtree came together with people in the area to try and come up with a solution.

We talked to some groups who work with people experiencing homelessness.

A new program by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office would permit deputies to remove homeless individuals and encampments from private property.

So far, 17 property owners have given the sheriff’s office permission to act on behalf of the owner and remove them.

As to where they’ll go next- that’s still being decided, but groups are waiting with open arms.

“It’s not just the people that you see on the streets or in the shelters,” said Angela Bakos, Founder of Resource Network.

Bakos spends her time working with deputies on a homelessness task force.

“We do go out to encampments; we offer resources to them. Even if it’s a private property issue, where the owner has asked for them to be removed, we first go out there and we give them a heads up that you know they are going to be removed, we give them all of the resources,” said Bakos.

They start from the ground up.

“Do you have a driver’s license or state ID? Do you have a birth certificate? If not, let me show you where you can go to get that,” she said.

The sheriff’s office will also use the aid of the superior court.

Sheriff Roundtree said: “The superior court has three courts of accountability, which is a mental health court, the drug addiction court, and the veteran’s court. They already doing those already working in Richmond County, for people created a criminal case in the superior court. So, the system is already in place.”

The Salvation Army heard what the sheriff had to say. Now they’re asking what’s next.

Derek Dugan, director of development at the Salvation Army of Augusta, said: “Here is no reason for a veteran to be homeless in this town. Zero, they’ve got all the resources. The Salvation Army’s work to define where you send people for mental health and addiction that’s not defined in this community, at least not in a large capacity.”

They can’t help everybody, but they helped 123 people this fiscal year. With this new initiative, that number could grow exponentially.

“We are on track to double the number of people served, the number of nights sheltered, and the number of meals given. What that means is we have extended over our budget already,” said Dugan.

Homelessness isn’t just a box you check.

“Every person has a different scenario, a different set of issues that have to be overcome, that probably placed them into homelessness that have to be addressed to get them out of homelessness,” said Dugan.

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