Out and About: Lighting the Way (Part 2 of 2)

By KATIE ANDERSON, Special to The Paper

This is Part Two of a series on our unhoused population in Coweta County. In Part Two, I’ve continued my conversations with community groups who are lighting the way. To read Part One of this series, click HERE.

Pamela Gabel

Pamela Gabel, Chair, Sustainable Housing Task Force

Pamela Gabel founded (and chairs) the Sustainable Housing Task Force. The Task Force is made up of community groups like Habitat for Humanity, Housing Authority, HOPE Global, Family Connection, Meals on Wheels, I58 Mission, Foundation Church, One Roof, Bridging the Gap, and NEST. 

The group is working on generating a white paper to report data on homelessness in our area; the report will help the community to make informed decisions in helping those who are unhoused.

One data point is the Point in Time count done in January. The PIT count is a Housing and Urban Development-led, annual survey of the number of homeless individuals seen on one night in January. On January 22, 2024, Coweta’s count was 139.

“The number is as accurate as can be, given how large of a county we have and the fact that the homeless are nomadic. Wages aren’t keeping up with housing costs, and medicine is unaffordable for many Cowetans. Many of our homeless are seniors, who have seen their rent double or triple over the past few years,” Gabel said.

Jimmy Ellison

Jimmy Ellison, Pastor, Newnan City Church

In the fall of 2018, Ellison started having conversations with other community leaders, which led to the formation of a warming shelter called NEST (Newnan Emergency Shelter Team) in January 2019. Other churches became involved, each sponsoring a night to house those in need. 

These conversations also led to the creation of Restart Coweta, an initiative aimed at meeting each unhoused person where they are. [Now, both NEST and Restart Coweta are under the umbrella of the Coweta Community Foundation.]

“One of the biggest myths that I hear is that homeless individuals are being dropped off in Coweta County. That is just not true. These folks live here and many are working. People lose jobs and lose their homes. We see a lot of women who have moved here for a relationship, and the relationship ends and they have nowhere to go. Sometimes, people are behind on their bills and we can refer them to agencies who can help with that.

“There has been such a great response from community agencies wanting to be a part of the solution. We all know it’s a problem and no one wants someone to be without a home,” Ellison said. 

Kristin Webb

Kristin Webb, CEO, Coweta Community Foundation

The Coweta Community Foundation has played a key role in helping manage funds that directly support a variety of community interests, including homelessness. 

The city of Newnan adopted a resolution in July 2023, providing $5,000 to the CCF to study homelessness in Newnan. According to Cleatus Phillips, Newnan’s city manager, the resolution stated “the goal of the city of Newnan is for ‘the homelessness and unsheltered population be coached, counseled, etc. to enable them to return to the workforce if possible, obtain secure and safe housing, and become self-supportive’.”

With this grant, the CCF was able to add an important case management piece to the puzzle. “We reached a point where one group needed to take the lead on things, which is how we formed Restart Coweta. However, collaboration among organizations is essential to our success,” Webb said. 

Briana

Briana’s Story

*Briana stands outside the Quik Trip in Newnan, with her two dogs and a sign that reads “Homeless – Please Help Us.” She is well-spoken, humble, and gives me permission to share her story.

A business associate robbed them of all of their money, tools used for work, and belongings, which led them to lose their home. She is in and out of school and in and out of work because she doesn’t have enough money or an address. 

They are the in-betweeners. They aren’t eligible for a lot of services because they work and have some money but not enough to make ends meet. 

*Names changed to protect privacy.