Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless

The Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless, as the lead agency for the Chatham County Continuum of Care, has identified five core goals to accomplish from 2020-2025:

1. Enhance the current crisis response system that prevents homelessness whenever possible.

2. Create, grow, and maintain affordable housing for households who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness.

3. Create a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate menu of services for youth who experience homelessness to prevent them from becoming the next generation of homeless adults.

4. Engage public and private systems to create one or more solutions to the public health issue of allowing 35+ camps without running water, sanitary sewer, or garbage pick-up to exist in our community.

5. Create a healthy, efficient and cost-effective nonprofit service system for the homeless population.

The Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless works collaboratively with all homeless service providers in Chatham County to ensure each of the 2020-2025 goals can be met. Our core strategies are:

1. Strengthen permanent housing opportunities. CSAH is a strong advocate for expanding affordable, permanent housing, which is the most effective way to reduce and prevent homelessness. In addition to supporting permanent housing through advocacy, CSAH manages City 54, a program that provides supportive housing and rental assistance for 54 local households in which the primary resident has an identified special need. Most recently, CSAH has expanded on this goal by launching the Tiny House project, which provides permanent housing for 47 homeless veterans.

2. Meet the unmet needs of persons experiencing homelessness. CSAH assists persons experiencing homelessness with services such as street outreach, intensive case management, transportation and rental assistance, self-sufficiency planning, and resource referrals for education, employment, food, temporary shelter, and medical care. CSAH staff are dispersed throughout the county to best meet homeless persons where they live and congregate.

3. Increase community awareness of homelessness. CSAH uses local data and first-hand knowledge and experience to educate nearly 40 community groups annually on the prevalence, causes, and solutions to homelessness. As a leader in the fight to reduce homelessness, CSAH serves as a trusted advisor to local government officials on key policy and funding decisions related to care for homeless persons and best practices in homelessness prevention and reduction.

4. Enhance nonprofit excellence to better serve persons experiencing homelessness. CSAH provides overall leadership for the Homeless Continuum of Care, a 21-member community board comprised of nonprofit agencies and community leaders that provides supportive services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. CSAH strengthens collaboration among these service providers and builds organizational capacity to provide quality programs and evidence-based practices for homeless persons.

The Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless was established by the Georgia Legislature in 1989 to coordinate and evaluate the efforts of public and private agencies addressing homelessness and its effects in Chatham County. Over the past 33 years, CSAH has achieved the state’s directive by working collaboratively with nonprofit, business, and government partners to improve the lives of the often-forgotten homeless men, women, and children in Chatham County, GA. With 18 staff, 17 dedicated board members, and hundreds of volunteers, CSAH coordinates the efforts of a community board that provides strategic planning for all homeless care and prevention services in the county, spearheads local education and advocacy efforts, and partners with social service organizations to provide direct support services for more than 4,000 individuals each year.

Over the past three decades, the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless has successfully coordinated the efforts of Chatham County’s homeless service providers and worked collaboratively with partners to deliver direct services to more than 4,000 individuals each year. As we look toward the future, we plan to strengthen existing partnerships so that we may better meet the needs of the individuals we serve. Our hope is that, through all Continuum of Care partners, we will work together to prevent and end homelessness by ensuring the availability of permanent, affordable housing and support services.