Part 2 of an ongoing series | Funeral Consumers Alliance of Georgia, Inc.
Dead Broke & Dead: I Found the Flyer — And Now I Have Questions
DeKalb County’s Indigent Burial Program is required by Georgia law — but try finding information about it.
When a public program meant for people in crisis has no public information — that is worth investigating.
I went looking. Here is what I found — and what I still do not know.
All 159 Georgia counties are required to have an Indigent Burial program
Georgia law requires every county to provide a decent burial or cremation for any person who dies with no money and no family able to pay. Note the language from statute Georgia Code § 36-12-5 below.
Georgia Code § 36-12-5 — Interment or cremation of deceased indigents
“Whenever any person dies in this state and the decedent, his or her family, and his or her immediate kindred are indigent and unable to provide for the decedent’s decent interment or cremation, the governing authority of the county wherein the death occurs shall make available from county funds a sum sufficient to provide a decent interment or cremation of the deceased indigent person….”
Learn more about the Georgia Indigent Burial program at FCAGa.org
DeKalb County’s Indigent Burial Program Has No Public Face
I was digging around in some old notes and I found a flyer. It describes the “Indigent Burial Assistance Program” for DeKalb County, GA.
I remembered talking to Mr. Kellar — the Director of the Indigent Burial Program — last fall. I called the number on the flyer. I mentioned the flyer. I asked if it had been updated. He said no. I asked where I could pick up a copy. He said it was not available for distribution. He also said, to the effect, the program had no information about the Indigent Burial Program that was publicly available for distribution.
As of my visit in March 2025, DeKalb County’s Indigent Burial Assistance Program office had no publicly available information on-site — no flyer, no application, no brochure.
I remember feeling frustrated. A public program — designed for people in crisis — with no easy public access to information for those uniquely vulnerable people it is designed to benefit.
If you need help now, start at FCAGa’s Indigent Burial guidelines page: fcaga.org/indigent-burials/indigent-burial-guidelines/
I Decided to Go Back in Person
I remembered where I actually got that flyer more than a year ago. It was at 949 N. Hairston Rd in Stone Mountain — an office only a few miles from where I live. I decided to go back and ask again. I found a nice day earlier in March of this year for a ride in my fun car. (Vintage red Miata convertible.)
When I got to the office, during posted office hours, I told the man at the desk I was there about the Indigent Burial Assistance Program and asked for any information he had on it. He said he was sure he had something and started looking.
He could not find anything at all. No flyer. No application. No brochure. Nothing.
He told me the people who work with the program were not there and I would have to call back when they were. I asked — twice — for the number to call. He wrote it on a yellow sticky note and gave it to me.
So I Filed an Open Records Request
I got home and decided to file an Open Records Request (ORR) for FCAGa. I filed with the DeKalb County office I thought would have the program information. I received this:
We have received and reviewed your request. The DeKalb County Human Services Department does not have jurisdiction over the DeKalb County Department of Family & Children Services (DFCS) and DFCS records or services which are part of the State system.
Below is the contact information for your request. Hope this helps!
Official Open Record Requests can be sent to the Open Records Officer by email at openrecordsdhs@dhs.ga.gov
Wrong office. So I filed again.
I Filed a Second ORR – This Time With the State
I filed a new Open Records Request with the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR). And I received the program flyer — substantially the same as the old one I already had.
Here it is. See attached.
What the Flyer Revealed — And What It Did Not
EXCEPT — NEW INFORMATION.
At the bottom of the flyer I received from the State DHR, there appears to be the name of a different program and a different address. The old flyer did not have that information.
Now I have the flyer. And so do you. We have new questions about this program.
What is that program? Is it the same program under a different name? A different office? I do not know yet.
More soon. I am just getting started.
Got a Story or Question?
Email me: president@fcaga.org
John Lantz
President, Funeral Consumers Alliance of GA, Inc. www.FCAGa.org
FAQ
Q: How do I apply for the DeKalb County Indigent Burial Assistance Program?
A: Contact the DeKalb County Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS). The program is managed through that office at 949 N. Hairston Rd, Stone Mountain, GA. As of early 2025, no written materials were available on-site — you will need to call ahead to reach program staff. Phone 404-823-3667 or 404-309-7534.
Q: What is Georgia’s Indigent Burial Program and who does it cover?
A: Georgia law requires every county to provide burial or cremation for people who die with no money and no family able to pay for final arrangements.
Q: How did FCAGa get a copy of DeKalb County’s Indigent Burial Assistance Program flyer?
A: Through an Open Records Request filed with the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR). The flyer was not available at the program’s local office or through the county directly.
This is Part 2 in FCAGa’s ongoing series reviewing Georgia’s Indigent Burial Program, county by county. Watch for future reports