Homeless individuals rest against a wall

A bill in the Georgia Senate would ban local governments from using federal dollars to build permanent homeless shelters and financially penalize cities that have a higher-than-average homeless population. It would also make it a misdemeanor to take shelter on state property.

Credit: File photo

Atlanta is seeking volunteers as part of an effort to create the first name-by-name registry of homeless people in the city.

The survey is aimed at placing hundreds of homeless residents in permanent housing by December.

Officials say as many of 300 volunteers are needed to scour the city and determine which services are needed.

The survey is planned for Thursday evening and Friday morning, when volunteers supported by professional outreach workers and Atlanta police are scheduled to conduct surveys of people sleeping outdoors and in emergency shelters in Atlanta.

Data from the surveys will be used to create the registry of homeless people in Atlanta, with information about their health problems and barriers to getting and keeping permanent housing.

Tags: Atlanta, homeless, Atlanta Homeless, homeless registry