Scenic Southern cities tarnished by homeless crime scourge must hold ‘feet to the fire,’ GOP lawmaker warns
One of the South’s most recognizable postcard settings is facing growing concerns over homelessness, encampments and public safety, with critics warning the issues are spreading beyond Savannah’s storybook streets to other scenic Georgia cities.
Now, a Republican lawmaker says it’s time to hold "local governments’ feet to the fire."
State Rep. Houston Gaines, who is running for Congress, is backing legislation aimed at forcing cities like Savannah, Athens and Atlanta to more aggressively enforce laws on illegal camping, loitering and panhandling.
"What we have done with this legislation is we're going to put those local governments' feet to the fire and we're going to make sure they're enforcing the laws that they are supposed to be enforcing, whether that's on illegal camping or loitering or panhandling," Gaines told Fox News Digital.
Gaines, who lives in Athens, said the issue goes beyond visible homelessness and has become a broader public-order and crime problem affecting business owners, homeowners, students and visitors.
"I've had a constituent who when she left town for vacation she came back and noticed that a homeless person had been in her pool for the last week," Gaines said.
He also described the kinds of complaints he says he hears from business owners and property owners in Georgia.
"Business owners get [at their storefront] at 5:30 in the morning and they got someone sleeping on their front porch," he said. "Or they had someone that's defecated right in front of their business."
Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bert Brantley has also said the impact is felt daily across the business community.
"Our businesses, workers, and downtown residents expect our public safety system to identify those committing crimes and deliver consequences for those illegal activities," Brantley said in November 2024.
Savannah later passed an urban camping ordinance prohibiting camping, storing personal property in public spaces and obstructing sidewalks or traffic.
Since the law took effect, the city says enforcement has led to 179 citations and 15 arrests. Officials also say 135 individuals have engaged with service providers, with roughly 30% entering shelters after contact with authorities.
Gaines argued that local governments in other Georgia cities have not gone far enough and said that has left residents and business owners stuck paying the price.
"There's serious expenses and consequences for property owners, homeowners that are putting up security cameras or fencing, or business owners, gas stations, storefronts," he said. "Some in Atlanta are having to hire full-time security."
He said House Bill 295 is designed to pressure local officials to act by making local governments financially liable when property owners suffer losses because laws against illegal camping, loitering, panhandling and related activity are not being enforced.
Under the bill, property owners can seek compensation for documented mitigation costs or reduced property value tied to a "policy, pattern, or practice" of non-enforcement or the maintenance of a public nuisance.
"The way to hit these local governments is in their pocketbook," Gaines said. "It's the way to really take on some of these folks and that's why I think this bill is going to be so effective."
Critics have argued that tougher enforcement can simply move homeless individuals, drug users and loiterers into neighboring areas rather than solve deeper problems. Gaines rejected that argument and said the bill is also intended to force local governments to provide services.
"Our goal here, we're not criminalizing homelessness. We're trying to help individuals who are homeless," Gaines said. "And the way to do that is to force these local governments to clean up the areas of homeowners and business owners, but it's also to ensure these individuals get the help they need."
"When you go to downtown Athens now, when you go to dinner with, you know, your family, you're going to be harassed by homeless people," Gaines said. "And that wasn't the case even five, six, seven, eight years ago. Our downtown has changed tremendously."
"The number of people who I talk to that don't even feel comfortable going downtown Athens for dinner, you know, it's very unfortunate," Gaines said.