During Tuesday’s Statesboro City Council meeting, Mayor Jonathan McCollar addressed growing speculation about the city's response to homelessness, firmly stating that the City of Statesboro has no plans to build a homeless shelter in downtown or elsewhere. The statement came in response to public confusion and misinformation circulating following the formation of a new ad hoc committee tasked with evaluating local housing challenges.
The mayor clarified that the committee’s sole purpose is to study housing instability and transitional homelessness in Statesboro and Bulloch County—not to design or fund the construction of any new shelter. “This committee's purpose is to actually study housing instability,” McCollar said. “We didn’t want to look at that without understanding that there is a connection to homelessness that’s associated with it.”
He emphasized that many local families are not chronically homeless, but rather experience temporary gaps in housing as they transition between apartments or living arrangements—often with limited resources or time. The mayor expressed disappointment over misinformation, calling it “disheartening” that false claims were circulating about such a serious and sensitive effort. “The City of Statesboro has no plans on building a homeless shelter in downtown Statesboro,” he reiterated. “This committee’s sole purpose is to study to find out where we are so that we’re able to address the needs of our community.”
Mayor McCollar then officially announced the creation of the mayoral ad hoc committee to study homelessness and housing instability across the city and county. The committee was formed following a multi-agency discussion held the previous week, and although it was initially envisioned as a 60-day task force, the timeline was extended to 120 days to allow for more in-depth research and community input.
The committee will be chaired by Councilmember Paulette Chavers, with Mayor Pro-Tempore Shari Barr also serving. Additional members include Peggy Brown, Yvonne Pryor, Keith Wilkey, Corey Kemp, Monifa Johnson, Chad Reinbold, and Delia Mobley. Olympia Gaines will serve as the committee’s staff liaison. The group will examine existing resources, service gaps, and potential solutions, ranging from temporary housing to wraparound mental health and addiction recovery services.
“This won’t be solved overnight,” said McCollar. “But this represents our commitment to begin the process, and that’s how lasting change begins.”
He went on to praise the council for its commitment to approaching community challenges with compassion and evidence. “This council has led with love, but also with intelligence,” he said. “We don’t make decisions without substantial evidence to support the direction we’re moving in.”
The mayor closed his remarks by pushing back on the notion that governments must choose between supporting vulnerable populations and promoting economic development. “You can be a government that looks out for the most vulnerable people in your community while providing opportunity for business owners and developers,” he said. “You can do both—and we are doing both.”
