Jasper asks homeless shelter to close, residents say they have no other options
PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. - The City of Jasper asked a homeless shelter to close, saying it's not up to fire safety codes, but residents of the shelter say they have nowhere else to go.
The shelter in Pickens County currently houses eight people. The city said they had until the end of January to get out.
Amy Ghorley opened the shelter in a vacant space in December 2021 when temperatures dropped to dangerous lows.
"We found other elderly people in their cars and it was going to be extremely cold," she told FOX 5 New's Rob DiRienzo.
She said she decided to do whatever it took to address the need for shelter. Ghorley said she wanted to bring the space up to code, but the situation was too dire.
"You go hungry, you don’t have a place to shower, it’s just not humanity," said one resident. "It’s not good."
No one from the city of Jasper would agree to speak to FOX 5 Atlanta on-camera. A city attorney sent FOX 5 a report from the fire marshal, which said the space was in violation of safety codes.
Residents of the homeless shelter say the conditions are better than being outside where temperatures fall below freezing.
The shelter's youngest resident, 19-year-old Zachery Fortner, and his partner Eveiy Waitley said they've experienced deadly-cold temperatures.
"We both got jobs," Waitley said. "I mean, it's not like we're staying here and having a great big time."
Residents say the next closest homeless shelter is full, and they have no other options.
The city says if they don't leave they will have "no choice but to proceed forward with an enforcement action.," according to a news release. Ghorley said she hired a civil rights lawyer to explore options.
"If you want to sue us, you want to fine us, do whatever you feel like you need to do," she said. "We’re going to do whatever we need to do because we’re not trying to be rebellious to the system, we’re asking the system to work with us and help us."
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