ATLANTA — Advocates and former residents of a cleared homeless encampment in Atlanta are demanding accountability from the city, claiming promises made to those displaced have not been kept.
The encampment on Wheat Street in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood was cleared months after the death of a homeless man during a previous clearing attempt.
Cornelius Taylor was killed by a city front-end loader in January while sleeping in a tent.
The city resumed clearing encampments in July, stating they secured housing for the remaining individuals, Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach reported.
“I am a survivor from the Old Wheat Street Homeless encampment,” said Allen Hall, a friend and former neighbor of Taylor, who spoke to the Atlanta City Council.
The city said they changed the policy and found transitional housing for around 30 remaining on Wheat Street, providing food, rooms and a case manager.
The city and mayor’s housing team put out a video that day touting the success.
But three months later, Hall says they did not follow through.
“We are calling on the city of Atlanta to change its approach to encampment evictions. Policies that focus on getting homeless people out of sight is not a solution. It’s violence,” Hall said.
Tim Franzen, a homeless advocate from American Friends Service Committee, says promises were broken.
“We were forced to move on this unrealistic timeline where there was no case management. Now they have a case manager but they’re still not being fed, so asking you take these demands seriously,” he said.
The advocates submitted an online petition to the city that now has more than 1,300 signatures, calling for full funding of wrap-around services, adopting a humane policy for addressing homelessness and renaming Wheat Street “Cornelius Taylor Street.”
Channel 2 Action News reached out to the city and received a statement Tuesday afternoon that said with their partners, the city ensured every resident received housing and support for a safe, dignified transition, that wrap-around services were provided and a case worker has been assigned to help with their long-term housing and service needs.
The full statement is below:
The relocation of residents from the Old Wheat Street encampment in July was a coordinated effort led by the City of Atlanta, with Partners for HOME as the lead agency for the Atlanta CoC. In partnership with the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition, we ensured that every resident received housing and support for a safe, dignified transition.
17 of the 19 individuals identified as living at the Old Wheat Street encampment have moved into permanent supportive housing or have a pending move-in scheduled. This includes eight individuals living in permanent supportive housing units at Welcome House, four at Ralph David House, and one at the Melody. Two additional clients have scheduled move-ins at Welcome House, and one is scheduled for move-in at the Salvation Army’s permanent supportive housing. For the two remaining clients, we are in the process of identifying the right housing solutions that fit their needs.
The assertion that wraparound services are not being provided is inaccurate. Each individual has been assigned a case worker to guide their long-term housing and service needs, with wraparound support such as life skills training, connection to job resources, connection to substance use and mental health services, and assistance with obtaining benefits such as food stamps.
Our goal remains clear: to connect people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing and services through a unified citywide response rooted in respect, compassion, and lasting solutions.
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