The commander of the HOPE unit says the homeless situation in Atlanta is improving

ATLANTA — While many who were homeless have found permanent homes, improving the call for help in Atlanta, the city police's HOPE unit said there are still hundreds living out in the cold. 

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and soaring inflation, Major Jeff Cantin, commander of the Atlanta Police Department's HOPE unit, said the number of people sleeping on the streets of Atlanta has been trending down for several years. 

However, this is the time of year when the numbers start to grow with people traveling south to warmer weather. 

And for Cantin, he serves as an ear to listen to the voices of people living in tents beneath an interstate bridge near downtown. 

“It’s hard because some of them do like this lifestyle,” Cantin said. “Some will not leave the streets because they like the freedom.”

HOPE stands for Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement. The unit is made up of nine officers who engage with Atlanta’s homeless to learn why they’re on the streets and to connect them with shelters and services.

Officers often hear stories of desperation.

“It’s cold,” one man said while standing near a bonfire and the tent he calls home, “We don’t have the means to stay warm. We need sleeping bags.”

Members of the unit regularly walk the streets for a headcount. Cantin said the city’s homeless population now hovers around 2,000. As soon as his unit can find shelter for some, others arrive.

“We just had some come off of the Greyhound from Florida, so we’re trying to work with them,” Cantin said. “Why leave Florida? It’s warmer there.”

The reward comes from knowing there have been success stories, like the mother and her three children that the HOPE unit rescued from the streets.

“We got her into housing,” Cantin said. “It doesn’t happen all the time, but those success stories are important. Those kids were able to get back into the school system.

It is a new life provided by police officers who work Atlanta’s streets offering hope.