Often, homelessness is not the only thing going on in a person’s life. Homelessness is many times connected to mental illness or an issue related to substance abuse. Behaviors of a person experiencing a crisis can be unpredictable and can change drastically without warning. To help combat the many issues surrounding homelessness, the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District has developed an initiative called A.S.I.S.T., according to a press release.
Its role is to attempt to de-escalate using skills, training, and experience to identify therapeutic needs and treatment options for homeless residents.
The community-based pandemic related homeless outreach initiative was developed due to the service limitations hindering outreach and service providers. It will be deployed as a mobile response unit to build capacity in the homeless service system on a short-term basis while community providers and their outreach teams work to resume uninterrupted service delivery.
It will serve as a timely response to: non-criminal, non-emergency quality of life, business nuisance, public disturbance, substance use, or mental health concerns in Downtown Atlanta with Social Workers trained in de-escalation and crisis management with a network of connections to treatment and care facilities.
Hours of operation are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Reach A.S.I.S.T. through the Ambassador Dispatch line at 404-215-9600 or speak directly to an ASIST member at 470-580-8288.
You will be asked to communicate:
- Your name, location, and call back number;
- Descriptive nature of all persons involved and urgency of the issue;
- Is this a first-time call, or a call about a repetitive issue or interaction;
- If a crime has been committed, you will be asked to hang up and contact 911;
- Expect a follow up call once the intervention has wrapped.
Information: Tammy Hughes, Social Impact Director, at thughes@atlantadowntown.com or (404) 522-5010.
