{"id":907578,"date":"2026-05-22T13:13:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T18:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/local-homeless-coweta-first-responders-see-it-first-but-cant-solve-it-alone\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T13:13:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T18:13:45","slug":"local-homeless-coweta-first-responders-see-it-first-but-cant-solve-it-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/local-homeless-coweta-first-responders-see-it-first-but-cant-solve-it-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"Local & Homeless: Coweta First Responders See It First \u2014 But Can\u2019t Solve It Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When someone calls 911 about a person sleeping behind a business, sitting for hours on a park bench, or wandering in distress, the response in Coweta County usually begins the same way: a police officer arrives.<\/p>\n

What happens next depends less on enforcement \u2014 and more on connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not illegal to be homeless,\u201d Newnan Police Chief Brent Blankenship said. \u201cWe try to make some type of rapport with those we come in contact with so that we can provide some type of service to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

That distinction defines the role of law enforcement in Coweta. Officers are often the first point of contact with homelessness \u2014 but rarely the solution.<\/p>\n

First contact: assessing the situation<\/h3>\n

Most encounters begin not with crime, but with concern.<\/p>\n

A property owner may ask that someone leave. A resident may request a welfare check. Officers may encounter someone during routine patrol.<\/p>\n

From there, officers assess what they\u2019re seeing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have some that just truly don\u2019t have a place to stay,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cAnd then you have some that are in a mental or substance abuse situation. We try to evaluate that so we can make the best decision possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arrests are not the norm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only time they\u2019re in trouble with the law is if they violate a law,\u201d Blankenship said.<\/p>\n

Coweta County Sheriff Lenn Wood said those violations are typically tied to other issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a couple of incidents with fighting in the camps,\u201d Wood said. \u201cOther than that, it\u2019s really not much \u2014 maybe shoplifting here or there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many, he added, are working in some capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of them are working, pick up jobs here and there, just to get enough money to buy some food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Familiar faces \u2014 and difficult choices<\/h3>\n

Officers often see the same individuals repeatedly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our downtown area, there\u2019s a few that we\u2019re very familiar with,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cSeeing them every day or every other day would be pretty common.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some are open to help. Others are not.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome are very appreciative and look for the help,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes we encounter some that really don\u2019t want our help.\u201d<\/p>\n

That willingness can determine what happens next.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Wood noted that addiction and mental health struggles often complicate those decisions \u2014 and can strain family relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them have drug addictions,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the families pretty much have quit dealing with them because they won\u2019t get the treatment they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where police work ends<\/h3>\n

While officers are often first on the scene, they are not equipped to provide long-term solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a social worker,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cWe have to work with our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, law enforcement relies on a network of local nonprofits and service providers.<\/p>\n

Bridging the Gap offers food, laundry and showers. Coweta Cares responds to mental health crises. Coweta Force works with those battling addiction. ReStart Coweta focuses on longer-term stability for those willing and able to engage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use those resources when we\u2019re able to,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cThey make a huge impact in helping us.\u201d<\/p>\n

In many cases, officers provide information, make referrals or connect individuals with those organizations.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the interaction ends there.<\/p>\n

A coordinated \u2014 but limited \u2014 system<\/h3>\n

Fire Chief Steven Brown said homelessness has not significantly changed emergency response patterns, highlighting how the issue often unfolds outside of crisis calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was a large number, we\u2019d know,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI haven\u2019t seen a big issue tied to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, the system depends on coordination.<\/p>\n

Police identify and assess. Nonprofits step in to provide services. Local leaders work toward broader housing solutions.<\/p>\n

Each piece plays a role \u2014 but none can resolve the issue alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re fortunate to have the resources we do,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cYears ago, we didn\u2019t have all these organizations to call.\u201d<\/p>\n

The limits of what exists<\/h3>\n

Even with those resources, gaps remain.<\/p>\n

Some individuals decline help. Others do not qualify for available programs. Many face barriers \u2014 mental health, addiction, lack of transportation \u2014 that make stability difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are times where we try to help, and it just doesn\u2019t work,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cSometimes when we bring in another organization, it helps.\u201d<\/p>\n

But not always.<\/p>\n

One call at a time<\/h3>\n

For the officers responding to homelessness across Coweta County, the work is not defined by sweeping solutions, but by individual encounters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not all about showing up and putting somebody in jail,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cIt\u2019s about trying to figure out what the best way is to help somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a county with more services than many surrounding areas, that approach \u2014 assess, connect, refer \u2014 has become the front line.<\/p>\n

And for now, it remains the system that exists.<\/p>\n

View Part 1 of this series,\u00a0Homelessness Hides in Plain Sight in Fayette<\/a><\/p>\n

View Part 2 of this series,\u00a0Coweta\u2019s Safety Net Strains Under Growing Homelessness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

https:\/\/thecitizen.com\/2026\/05\/04\/local-homeless-cowetas-safety-net-strains-under-growing-homelessness<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ellie White-Stevens
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When someone calls 911 about a person sleeping behind a business, sitting for hours on a park bench, or wandering in distress, the response in Coweta County usually begins the same way: a police officer arrives. What happens next depends less on enforcement \u2014 and more on connection. \u201cIt\u2019s not illegal to be homeless,\u201d Newnan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":907579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[673,938],"tags":[5719,5167],"class_list":{"0":"post-907578","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-first","8":"category-local","9":"tag-first","10":"tag-local"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=907578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/907579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=907578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=907578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=907578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}