Savannah, Georgia moves to reclaim historic squares from homeless encampments

Savannah, Georgia, has cut homeless encampments in its historic district by roughly half since 2023, city officials say, as local leaders pursue a combination of enforcement measures and outreach programs to address growing public safety concerns in one of the South’s most visited cities.

The reduction follows passage of an urban camping ordinance that the City Council approved unanimously in June 2025, making it illegal to sleep or store personal belongings in public spaces including parks, sidewalks and other city right-of-way. Under the ordinance, officers must issue a verbal or written warning before taking any enforcement action. Since taking effect, the law has generated 179 citations and 15 arrests, according to city data. Officials also say 135 individuals have been entered into the Homeless Management Information System and connected with service providers, with roughly 30% entering shelters after contact with police.

City officials, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and tourism leaders have acknowledged that homelessness and vagrancy have become “increasingly visible” to residents, business owners and tourists, according to Fox News Digital. Chamber President and CEO Bert Brantley said the issue is felt across the business community daily.

The ordinance passed after considerable debate. Alderman Kurtis Purtee, who supported the measure, framed it as a public health and safety tool rather than a punitive one.

“I don’t think there’s a single person on this council that believes we should criminalize homelessness,” Mr. Purtee told WTOC ahead of the vote. “But we have to figure out a way to start working together as a community, while holding people accountable for their actions.”

Mayor Van Johnson, who initially required a 90-day performance review before signing off fully on the ordinance, later described it as “another tool in the toolbox.” The Savannah Interagency Council on Homelessness said the law has produced improved coordination between police and social services, calling it an “unprecedented collaboration” among homeless services providers and law enforcement.

Critics, however, argued the ordinance fails to address root causes. Matthew Henning, pastor of Savannah’s Lutheran Church of the Ascension, urged the council to focus on the city’s shrinking affordable housing stock rather than camping restrictions. A local Episcopal priest, Michael Chaney, similarly argued that homelessness is primarily a housing crisis, suggesting a hotel tax on rooms in the tourism-dependent city as a potential funding mechanism.

Chatham County, which surrounds Savannah, passed a parallel urban camping ordinance around the same time, though an earlier attempt to adopt such a measure was shelved in late 2024 amid public opposition.