WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Warner Robins is pushing ahead with their homeless shelter initiative.
The council voted to put an additional $13,000 into helping get their unhoused community some shelter at their Monday night meeting.
Mayor LaRhonda Patrick hopes unhoused men and women in Houston County could have shelter before the end of the year. They hope that it helps give homeless people in Houston County a second chance at life.
"The shelter is a work in progress," Patrick said.
The two-story facility is set to house about 80 people, but Patrick says they're still in the project's early stages.
"Right now, we are trying to get some bids for architectures to come in to do a design for us that the city will own," she said.
Once that design is created, the city will put out bids for construction at the Green Street location.
Mayor Patrick says the goal is still to open the doors before the start of winter.
"But, we are just going to let the experts tell us looking at our building and with the renovations that we need specifically on the realistic timeline for opening the shelter," Patrick said.
The city is also preparing for new outreach efforts. In June, the Warner Robins City Council agreed to partner with SimTech Solutions to track their homeless population.
"There was just the approval of the basic package, which really didn't give us the nuts and bolts of what the app was intended to do," she said
After guidance from SimTech and United Way of Central Georgia, the Warner Robins City Council voted Monday night to pay $13,000 for additional features.
"The goal of the app is to join in with our surrounding municipalities who are also using an app, or a similar app, to track individuals coming into our community," Patrick said.
These new add-ons will give the city a more detailed analysis. It will allow them to clarify someone's specific situation, like if they live in a car or a makeshift tent. They will be able to determine the ages and other personal details of the city's homeless population.
Plus, the add-ons will allow them to print maps to help them track the issue.
"We want to be able to track them, and see who are they, where did they come from, why are they here, and how can we help them get to where they need to be," Patrick said.
Patrick says the new additions will be paid for through The American Rescue Plan Act.