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Fighting Atlanta’s homeless crisis
The Atlanta City Council is seeking to find solutions to ending Atlanta's homeless crisis
ATLANTA - There is a new push to help Atlanta's homeless population is in the works.
"I wanted to follow my dreams, I wanted to pursue my passion," says Councilman Antonio Brown. "Being a creative, it made it really difficult to do that and be able to maintain a job that was enough, financially able to support me and put a roof over my head."
Councilman Brown knows what it's like to not have a place of his own.
"I was homeless for a period of time in my life so this very personal to me and I saw first hand just the impact."
Brown says he was experienced homeless when he was 26. That experience lasted for a year.
The District 3 Councilman says he and other members are finalizing legislation.
One goal of the effort is to help homeless people who could be charged with a crime. Those crimes could be misdemeanors like blocking a roadway or trespassing on a vacant property.
"They will be provided workforce training as well preparing them to understand sustainability as far as moving into permanent housing," says Brown.
When going before a judge, the defendant could opt into a six-month program.
Brown says it's not likely that those charged with felonies would be eligible for the program.
Some partners would include the Atlanta Housing Authority and WorkSorce Atlanta.