ATLANTA — Atlanta announced this week stating it would begin “compassionately” decommissioning bridge encampments across various locations and hopefully moving those living under them into permanent housing.
It comes as Atlanta Mayor Dickens reported on Friday the city will use the former Athletic Club of the Atlanta Medical Center campus as a temporary emergency shelter to assist individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Partnering with Partners for HOME, the city has identified priority bridge sites based on specific criteria, including public health risks, prior incidents like fires and criminal activities and the size of the encampment.
Between January 1 and February 17, Atlanta fire told 11Alive it responded to 28 fires underneath bridges.
Outreach teams are actively reaching out and assessing people seeking shelter under these identified bridge locations.
The process will start at the end of February 2024, and the city said it would span throughout 6 to 8 weeks. In collaboration with Gateway 24/7 Center, the city will establish temporary emergency shelters to offer shelter to every unhoused individual living under the identified bridges.
Councilman Michael J. Bond says he’s aware of a few places where teams will clear out homeless encampments.
“There’s one in District 7 behind the Piedmont Road area where it is close to some train lines,” he said. “There’s another one on the westside of town near the Chattahoochee Industrial Park area is. Then, of course, there are others that are sporadically positioned around the city.”
Upon closure, outreach teams will notify people through signage, and then help them transport their belongings to the temporary emergency shelter. Each person will be assigned a housing navigator from partner organizations such as Gateway, Aniz, Step Up on Second, Frontline and Hope Atlanta to transition to suitable housing solutions.
To address concerns regarding belongings, outreach teams will work with individuals to condense their possessions to a maximum of three bags for transportation to the shelter. The outreach teams will responsibly discard any remaining items, the city said.
Notably, the initiative aims to provide low-barrier shelter and housing solutions tailored to the unique needs of those experiencing homelessness. Housing navigators will continue to engage with individuals who refuse shelter, offering support and assistance in identifying appropriate housing options.
Through collaboration with service providers and community stakeholders, Atlanta said it seeks to ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness have access to shelter and a pathway to permanent housing.
The city is encouraging residents to report encampments under bridges by calling 311, which triggers the deployment of the crisis response team and subsequent follow-up actions.