‘We have nothing.’ Residents, advocates speak out ahead of Atlanta homeless encampment sweep

Residents of Atlanta’s Old Wheat Street encampment have until Thursday to find housing after Atlanta announced a sweep of the homeless camp. In January, Cornelius Taylor was crushed to death by heavy machinery during a sweep on that same street.

That’s when encampment residents and housing justice organizers formed the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition. In June, the coalition, which advocates for unhoused people, submitted an alternative housing proposal to the city, but it did not get a response.

Timothy Franzen is part of the coalition. He said Old Wheat Street residents have lost trust in the city.

“What we have is this whack-a-mole approach of destroying an encampment, putting people into temporary housing only to see them back in the street days or weeks later with less property and more desperate,” he said.

Partners for HOME helps coordinate Atlanta’s response to homelessness. CEO Cathryn Vassell said the group has teams on site working with the residents of the encampment.

“There are 14 individuals on the by-name list,” she said. “These individuals have been confirmed to be there over a period of days as the permanent residents of the encampment. We are making offers of housing offers to all 14 individuals.”

But Nolan English, another member of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition, said the list doesn’t match the real number of people at the camp.

“The number out there is 28,” English said. “They’re going to quote 14. So that way when we house 14 — which just so happens to be the number of rooms they have over at Welcome House — when we house 14, then we can say we have housed 100% of the people on old Wheat Street.”

Some residents of Old Wheat Street said they haven’t heard from any outreach groups. Lolita Griffeth was in a relationship with Cornelius Taylor for eight years before his death. She said she hasn’t been given other housing options.

“It’s not about me,” Griffeth said. “All our friends; where are we going to live? I mean for real. Anybody understand what I’m saying? We don’t have nowhere to go. We have nothing.”

The coalition is demanding the city postpone the eviction, open negotiations, and create a plan that includes residents’ voices.

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