Larry Mainor, veteran in Atlanta, left the armed forces and
spent years on the streets. He had no home, food, or money, but one thing he
did have was drugs. He is not the only one though, Minor is one of hundreds of
homeless veterans and other homeless people in Atlanta. No need to worry
though, they are now being helped by an Atlanta initiative aimed towards getting
people off the streets and in their own homes. The city has already found homes
for over 700 people including Mainor. He says, “I just got sick and tired of
living a life of drugs and alcohol.”
According
to a point- in- time count in January, there are 6,000 hopeless people live in
metro Atlanta. Atlanta’s “Unsheltered No More” initiative is focused first and
foremost on getting the homeless off the streets and then providing them with
any services and other help they may need. Last year, the city partnered with
the 100,000 Homes Campaign to try to house 100 people in 100 days, their goal
was beaten with 131 homeless people sheltered. Many of the people housed though
the city’s recent initiatives were found through a volunteer- driven homeless
registry created in January. The registry serves to identify and prioritize the
city’s most vulnerable citizens for housing.
As for Mainor, he’s overcome his alcohol
and drug addictions. He says "Instead of me trying to find some drugs and
alcohol when I wake up in the morning-time, now when I wake up in the
morning-time, I can think about the positive things in life. It tells me that Larry is somebody now. It
tells me that the last four years of trying to live a normal life is paying
off." He is building off skills to be a cook in the military, Mainor
recently graduated from Atlanta Technical College’s culinary arts program,
where he also me his fiancée. The two are now making pkans to open a bakery and
catering business.
