The Fragmented State
Atlanta represents municipalities with a supportive housing policy in municipalities that are majority Black and in states that have not expanded Medicaid. Atlanta’s Continuum of Care is integrated into municipal government. Atlanta’s move to integrate the Continuum of Care into local government occurred when the Continuum of Care restructured, moving from a trijurisdictional arrangement to separate city and county institutions. The restructuring was prefaced by an investment in homelessness and chronic homelessness prevention and services by the city of Atlanta. Subsequently, the city adopted a supportive housing policy and implemented pilot programs to reduce policing of persons experiencing chronic homelessness. Despite positive changes, Atlanta still suffers from barriers to policy implementation resulting from: histories of race and segregation, including separate policy efforts mobilizing police to move persons experiencing chronic homelessness to other jurisdictions; limited governmental funding and reliance on nongovernmental actors as providers and funders; and metropolitan fragmentation inhibiting policy coordination.