ATLANTA — Some people who live in a homeless encampment wonder where they will go once the city clears the street where their tents are. One of the people at the encampment was killed in the city’s clearing effort earlier this year.
The city of Atlanta says it is working to make sure everyone there has a place to live.
The city says it has dedicated $60 million to address homelessness and is building or acquiring some 500 units to house people.
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Still, some advocates told Channel 2’s Tom Jones since they weren’t included in the plans to address this issue, they don’t think the city is serious about resolving this issue.
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“Where are we gonna live, y’all?” said one woman who lives in the encampment on Old Wheat Street near Ebenezer Baptist Church. She was at a news conference outside city hall organized by the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition.
Some that live in the encampment say they are concerned where they will go once the city clears the area Thursday.
“I’m about to lose my mind,” one woman said.
The city of Atlanta says that community has nothing to worry about.
“We’ve secured for Old Wheat Street. We’ve secured housing units for every person,” Shatiqua Ellison with the Mayor’s Office said during a separate virtual news conference.
“Say his name, Cornelius Taylor, Cornelius Taylor,” the crowd chanted outside city hall.
The city tried to remove the encampment earlier this year but halted the sweep after heavy machinery crushed Taylor to death while he was asleep in his tent.
Now the city says it will safely and humanely move the people there to the Welcome House.
“The units that we’ve secured will have furniture, new furniture, appliances,” Ellison explained.
She also said case managers will be on hand to provide wrap-around services.
But the advocates outside city hall say they were working with the city on a plan to resolve this issue. Then the city came up with its own plan.
“We’re here to say their plans are not working, and we simply have lost trust,” Tim Franzen said.
So they took their concerns to the city council meeting.
Outside, one woman who lives in the Old Wheat Street encampment says she wants a place where she can pay rent and not a shelter.
“Please don’t send me back to the Welcome House,” she cried.
The city says it will begin clearing the encampment Thursday at 7:30 a.m. It says it would like to move people out before then.
Some advocates suggested there might be some resistance to the sweep.
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