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Buckhead tent city dwellers get the boot
A tent city for homeless people in Buckhead has been the scene of several fires over time. Now, the encampment is slated to be shut down and cleared out Thursday. It's part of City Hall's promise to nearby residents who lease upscale apartments in the area and have complained.
BUCKHEAD, Ga. - Buckhead residents in the Lindbergh area have waited for months for a major cleanup. Atlanta city officials say it will happen on Thursday when public works crews dismantle and clear debris from a homeless encampment.
Counselors over this week have visited the site to speak to a dozen or so individuals who come in and out of the area.
"They get comfortable in their misery," said Tracy Thompson. "I try to let them know it can get better."
Thompson is with the Elizabeth Foundation. Since 2018, Thompson has visited various tent cities around Atlanta.
What residents find frustrating are the unpredictable fires that pop up.
One recent blaze erupted within feet of the Newburgh Apartments, an upscale complex with rents that start at $1700 per month.
Thompson said every fire has a different cause – from cooking, to retaliation if a stranger squats in a makeshift home that was started by someone else.
"It is not a simple matter," Thompson added. "Some of them are suffering from mental illness."
Atlanta has a policy to offer those who are unhoused an alternative before tearing down an encampment: shelter.
Thompson said some comply. Others have to be removed.
"We try to be sensitive," she said. "They are human beings."