Daybreak reports rise in homeless seeking help in Macon
Daybreak says weather changes and an encampment cleanup have driven more people to seek help in Macon.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Daybreak says it’s seeing an increase in the number of homeless individuals seeking help.
A recent encampment cleanup, along with changing weather conditions, have contributed to this rise, according to Director Sister Mallot. She says it’s important to treat homeless individuals with respect and dignity.
“These are our sons and daughters,” she said. “They have to be treated with respect and dignity. They deserve that. We all do, any one of us could be homeless and we would want that treat for ourselves.”
Sister Mallot says she understands safety and health problems arise from encampments but removing them is not the best solution either.
“By just knocking down encampments, when you do that, you destroy people’s identification,” she said. “You destroy their medicine. You destroy their means of transport, their bicycles, and other vehicles. And you just totally disrupt their lives when they’re already suffering and miserable, so I think we really need to work together with the Coalition on Homelessness, the mayor’s office, everybody, and find a more long term solution to this.”
“I was out here just struggling so bad, you know?” Antonio Jackson, a former homeless individual who recently secured an apartment after two years on the streets, said. “Days when I was crying, I was out here in the cold. I was out here in the heat, and I couldn’t take it.”
Sister Mallot is calling for solutions, such as affordable housing and low-threshold shelters, which offer some level of supervision and with fewer rules.
“We just need to use all of our gifts and come together to find a solution for this,” she said. “I’m sure we will. I’m confident we will, especially here in Macon. We work together on things. And we always have.”
Sister Mallot urges community members to voice their concerns to politicians regarding the need for more housing and healthcare options for the homeless population.
