ADID Outreach Team
Our Initiative
In 2020, ADID launched a mobile homeless outreach initiative intending to build capacity in the homeless service ecosystem by acting as a service conduit to those experiencing homelessness on the streets of Downtown Atlanta. The Outreach Team continues as ADID maintains its investment in the vibrancy of the Downtown community through this impactful approach to addressing homelessness.
Our Outcomes
2021 Metrics:
- Community Calls for Service = 741
- Connections to Shelter = 1,301
- COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Linkages = 1,282
- Contact Engagements = 2,525
- Collaborative placements into Transitional or Permanent Housing, Cumulative (2020 and 2021) = 276
2020 Highlights:
- Engaged over 900 men, women, and women with children, or what represents nearly 30% of Atlanta’s entire homeless census and directly connected many of them with services required to meet basic needs, including the opportunity for more than 350 individuals to end their current episode of unsheltered homelessness, accounting for almost 80 homeless veterans in that total.
- Acted as a conduit in getting over 400 individuals tested for COVID-19, providing masks, handwashing stations, and other essentials to promote public health in a pandemic.
- Served as a value add to the stakeholders from both the business and residential communities of Downtown Atlanta responding to over 200 calls from area hotels, restaurants, storefronts, property managers, and security personnel who partnered with the initiative to address street homelessness within the ADID.
- Having demonstrated proof of concept, the initiative was approved by the ADID Board of Directors to continue operations into 2021, furthering the business community’s commitment as stakeholders who are equally concerned about those who are vulnerable, as well as being dedicated to the vibrancy of Downtown Atlanta as a safe and inclusive live, work, and entertainment destination.
Our Mission
To connect those in Downtown experiencing street homelessness to supportive services through a redemptive, trauma-informed outreach approach.
Our Approach
The Outreach Team is dispatched by direct calls from the Atlanta Downtown stakeholder community and through observational engagement in problem-solving conversations with those experiencing street homelessness throughout the Downtown Improvement District. The team responds to non-criminal, non-emergency quality of life, business nuisance, public disturbance, substance use, or mental health concerns related to homelessness within the 4 square miles of the Atlanta Downtown Corridor generally bounded by North Avenue, Boulevard, I-20, and Northside Drive. The Outreach Team is staffed with trauma-informed community outreach workers to connect Social Workers and Safety Advocates trained in de-escalation and crisis management with a network of connections to shelter, treatment, and care providers for those experiencing homelessness in Downtown Atlanta. Call the dispatch line: 404-215-9600
Community Resource Card
We have created a Community Resource Card as a tool to assist persons in need of shelter and food resources. It can also be utilized as a helpful guide to contacts for safety, cleanliness, and other Downtown resources. The card is a tangible resource of homeless services, providers, and public safety information that can be downloaded or requested from us as needed. Please keep the Community Resource Card as a reference and stay tuned for opportunities to learn, participate in conversations, and join the collective effort to support the most vulnerable among us with dignity and respect.
View & Download the Resource Card
2021 Street Homelessness Survey
Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District conducted the 2021 Street Homelessness Survey to understand the reality of unsheltered homelessness on the streets of Downtown Atlanta. Results from the Survey provide an insightful perspective on the number of individuals who are experiencing street homelessness and what their various needs are.
For more information about the Outreach Team and other ADID social impact priorities, please contact Shevenie Reid Page at sreid@atlantadowntown.com or 404-658-1980.