Birmingham vows to slash chronic homelessness by 40 percent in one year
City officials announce new initiatives to close encampments and provide permanent housing for the unhoused.
By Austin Reed ·
Birmingham city leaders aim to reduce chronic homelessness by 40 percent over the next year. The administration released this goal during its second State of Homelessness summit.
A recent report indicates that 40 percent of individuals entering the city’s support system are experiencing homelessness for the first time. Officials stated they view this statistic as a manageable challenge that can be solved through coordinated partnerships and existing programs.
Alanah Melton, the city’s director of unhoused strategies, said the work is complex but achievable. She emphasized that the city cannot solve the problem alone due to limited resources. “That offers me so much hope that we do have realistic numbers that together, not the city alone, the city could never have the infinite resources that are required, but together we absolutely can do it,” Melton said.
The city has already announced updates to the Home for All Safe Sleep program and the Jimmie Hale Emergency Plus Shelter. These efforts build on a roadmap released last year to tackle the crisis.
The upcoming focus is the Bham Goes Home initiative. This program targets people living in encampments by pairing the closure of specific sites with immediate housing offers. Melton noted that moving an encampment without a destination is difficult. “It is one of the hardest things to do, to have to move an encampment and not offer a place to go. So we are working on targeted efforts as we begin to close encampments that we have housing to offer people,” she said.
The city is currently working with Birmingham police through the HOPE program. This collaboration has already resulted in the relocation of at least one encampment located at Underwood Park.
