GEORGETOWN, Del. - The Georgetown Town Council appointed a 10-member committee during its council meeting to tackle supportive housing issues and homelessness in the town.
According to town officials, there are 42 supportive housing facilities currently operating within Georgetown.
The committee's purpose is to evaluate those existing facilities and how they are being used. Officials said the town is not looking to add more supportive housing at this time.
Supportive housing typically serves individuals recovering from substance use disorders, those recently released from jail, and others facing housing instability.
Georgetown Town Hall.
Vice Mayor and Councilwoman Christina Diaz-Malone said the town has worked to respond to the issue over time.
"The town has worked very hard in the past through the mayor and the council to get their arms around the issue," Diaz-Malone said. "The town has been very generous to a lot of these organizations and welcoming because we are the county seat, and that's what we do, but now the problem is out of hand."
Jim Martin, director at The Shepherd's Office, said he has noticed an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in recent years.
"We have a housing crisis, and we need the experts to step up and really think through this and figure out how we're going to figure this problem out, because I think it's just going to get worse," Martin said.
Trish Hill, program manager at the Georgetown Pallet Village, is one of the members appointed to the committee.
"I think the important thing is to have the community involved," Hill said. "Without the community support, nothing is going to get solved, so with the entire community involved, I think we can come together and have some consensus, and I think that people will at least feel their voices are heard."
The committee has been given six months to study local housing needs and homelessness and report back with recommendations, according to town officials.