ATLANTA — Gwinnett County, alongside housing nonprofit Impact 46, will welcome the county's second emergency homeless shelter.
The first and current shelter run by the nonprofit United Way of Greater Atlanta, The Resting Spot, remains closed due to flooding caused by its water pipes bursting in December. The shelter is temporarily closed and previously assisted unhoused women and their children.
At this moment, Gwinnett County is finalizing grant agreements for the second emergency shelter that will be housed at the renovated Colonial Hills apartment building.
"Our hope and confidence is that we can get the facility moving forward as quickly as possible. And the fact that it's an already existing facility, not a new construction, will certainly help to make a little bit of a quicker timeline overall," said Matthew Elder, the Housing and Community Development Division Director in Gwinnett County.
The county awarded Impact 46 with a $500,000 grant, money awarded to them as part of COVID-19 relief packages. The nonprofit will use the grant to renovate the Lawrenceville-based apartment building and convert it into a non-congregate shelter.
According to Impact 46, the building will be transformed into an eight-room housing center for single men and couples without children called the FIRST housing center.
Elder said the shelter would be a unique and first-of-its-kind project in Gwinnett County, serving an underserved unhoused population that's growing.
"I think there will be a significant impact. I think that any time you have facilities that focus on a population that's currently a gap in the system response -- which is single adult males, single couples with no children -- that's a significant way to impact the community as a whole," said Elder.
Elder explained that four of the eight units will be used as a night-to-night emergency shelter. The other four will be used as a more traditional 90-day shelter to house single men and couples with no children for longer periods of time.
The FIRST housing center will also partner with the Lawrenceville Police Department and their co-responder unit to house unsheltered residents while providing mental and behavioral health resources.
The partnership consists of the community engagement officer, a viewpoint clinician, and a viewpoint peer specialist.
An additional $500,000 Department of Justice grant awarded to the Lawrenceville Police Department will provide funding for equipment and personnel to support the initiative.
To make it easier for people to use the shelter, it will be within walking distance of other social services often needed. A spokesperson for Impact 46 said the nonprofit hopes to have the shelter open in early 2024.
In addition to the two emergency homeless shelters in Gwinnett County, the county does have other shelters open for special populations, such as those faced with domestic violence, and for families.
You can find more housing relief resources offered by the county here.