December 27th 2023.
The City of Atlanta is taking action to clear out many homeless encampments around the city due to fires under the bridges. The news comes as the city is planning to open a shelter made of recycled shipping containers to provide aid for its citizens in need.
A fire underneath Cheshire Bridge Rd in the Northeast area of Atlanta was allegedly sparked by a homeless encampment trying to keep warm during the frigid winter temperatures. This caused the bridge to be surrounded by black smoke around 1 am on Dec. 20, leading law enforcement to clear out the area and plans to do the same across the city.
The bridge has been prone to fires within the past year, causing a review of potential damage and danger to cars traveling through. In 2021, a massive part of the bridge was shut down completely, only reopening just recently in April of this year. The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the long-awaited reopening of one of the busiest streets in the area.
Unfortunately, due to the latest fire, city officials must shut down part of the road again as structural engineers survey its safety.
To address the growing homelessness crisis in Atlanta, city officials are finalizing a $5 million village for the unhoused, utilizing renovated shipping containers to provide shelter. According to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, plans to open the rapid transitional housing facility in January 2024 remain intact, although the village can only house 40 people.
The mayor shared that policy decisions will be made around whether people are allowed to live under bridges, but emphasized that the city needs to provide options for the homeless.
The Atlanta Mission reported that 2,000 individuals sleep outside each night, and the airport has also become a makeshift place of refuge for many. To spread awareness on the issue, the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta held a “Sleep The Night Out” event on Dec. 16.
The timeline for the full reopening of the bridge in the aftermath of the latest fire has yet to be determined. It is clear, however, that the City of Atlanta is taking steps to provide aid to those in need, as well as to protect the safety of all of its citizens.
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