Finding food and shelter can be as easy as going home, but for hundreds of homeless people living in Gwinnett, it is a daily challenge.
Nicole Love Hendrickson learned the toll these experiences take on someone while spending her childhood years on public assistance and bouncing in and out of homeless shelters with her siblings.
Today, after running on a platform to lower homelessness, food insecurity and poverty, Hendrickson is the first Black woman to serve as chairwoman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. Impassioned by her childhood experiences and career in social work, Hendrickson and her colleagues are helping open the county’s first official homeless shelter.
“I’ve always been passionate about serving in this role, pushing for resources, policies and programs to address these issues and get people out of poverty.” Hendrickson said. “It breaks my heart when I see kids that have to go through that because I know exactly what that feels like. It’s devastating, and it really has an impact on you.”
HomeFirst Gwinnett, a homeless initiative under the nonprofit United Way of Greater Atlanta, will open its long-awaited Norcross shelter for homeless women and children in the next 30 to 60 days.
The shelter has taken longer than expected, facing several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will only hold 20 beds and allow three families to fill its rooms for the time being due to social distancing requirements, said Matt Elder, the organization’s director. The shelter will take both single women and single moms with children, letting them stay for up to 90 days while helping them find their next home.
Elders hopes the shelter will be the first of several for the homeless to seek refuge, despite only helping a handful of women and children at a time. Instead of building a single large shelter, the organization hopes to build smaller ones across the county to meet those in need wherever they’re already located, he said.
The county has spent about $2.6 million over the past three years to help fund HomeFirst Gwinnett, covering some of the costs for both the upcoming shelter and its Norcross Assessment Center which opened last year. The organization, which requires $700,000 annually to operate with seven staff members, provides a one-stop service provider through its center for people experiencing housing insecurity.
Over the past 12 months, the center has matched more than 10,000 individuals with shelter and eviction prevention and gave 100 people a place to stay during the cold winter months with its warming shelter, Elder said.
“I think it’s a positive step forward, but obviously there needs to be more,” said Elder, who grew up in Lawrenceville. “We’re saying we need to build four or five of these facilities that all include shelter components. Our thought is not only do we need more beds, but we need to be doing them in this smaller, almost boutique style that allows us to work with clients on a more intimate level.”
Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs counted nearly 300 unsheltered and sheltered homeless Gwinnett County residents in its most recent Report on Homelessness study conducted in 2019. However, experts say the study undercounts, mostly relying on homeless individuals found at shelters or on the streets.
The large geographic area of Gwinnett County and its suburban nature presents a unique challenge for accurately monitoring the issue, Elder said. Rather than congregating on street corners, many of the county’s homeless population seek refuge elsewhere — in relatives’ homes, wooded areas, cars or one of the county’s 55 extended-stay motels and hotels.
Elder believes anywhere from 8,000-10,000 of Gwinnett’s nearly 1 million residents are homeless. In its most recent count, Gwinnett County Public Schools classifies more than 1,000 students as homeless, said Tinisha Parker, executive director of student services for the school system.
Several nonprofit and faith-based organizations in Gwinnett help homeless individuals of all genders and their families find a place to sleep, some offering a few temporary beds or programs to get people back on their feet. While not ideal, the initiative and other county programs help provide vouchers for extended-stay hotels and motels.
“The only thing extended-stays care about are their bottom line,” Hendrickson said. “They don’t care that these individuals have a path to economic opportunities (or) have a desire to become homeowners one day. They’re a short-term, temporary solution … and I don’t think (they solve) the long-term issue of getting these individuals to a path of self-sufficiency.”
Credit: Rebecca Wright
Credit: Rebecca Wright
Getting to the root of the issues which directly or indirectly cause homelessness will be key for keeping people in their own homes, Hendrickson said. County officials are currently wrapping up a housing study to see where more affordable housing is needed, as well as looking at ways to prevent food deserts from cropping up in blighted areas, she said.
“I feel like I have an obligation to now pay it forward,” Hendrickson said. “I have charted the path for myself, but it’s my responsibility to now chart a path forward for other families that are struggling the same way (I did) so that children, single women and those facing addiction see a way out.”
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