- Nearly 2,000 people in Lowndes County are displaced due to rising rent costs and weather-related events.
- A new warming and cooling shelter is planned for Valdosta, but it may take years to complete.
- Watch the video to hear how homeless neighbors are getting by during the winter.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
"Today is December 4th, and last night... oh my goodness, it was cold. It was like 36 degrees... ice on my car."
The person you hear on that iPhone video is Geneva Reed.
She is from Valdosta but moved to Tallahassee for work.
Now, she's been back home for two weeks, and she tells me she's been living in her car ever since.
"I've applied to several places, I fill them out anyway, but I've been told waiting lists are 2-3 years."
Geneva says she's retired and on a fixed income.
Her last apartment in Tallahassee was too expensive to afford when rent increased from $850 to $1,200.
Now, she's looking for somewhere that'll adjust to her income.
"I need income-based housing because my income isn't going to change... its my Social Security."
She's not the only one.
According to the South Georgia Partnership nearly 2,000 individuals and families are displaced in Lowndes County due to a combination of weather-related events and $300-$400 yearly rental increases.
Their director Dr. Ronnie Mathis tells me his board made a unanimous decision to build a warming and cooling shelter for situations like these.
"We've secured three pieces of property that's adjacent to LAMP shelter on Charlton Street."
But he says this will take years. Years neighbors like Geneva don't have."
"It's an epidemic. You work all your life to get to this point? It makes no sense to suffer this way."
For now, the Partnership to End Homelessness does plan to meet with the zoning board for their new shelter in February 2025. In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.
