Atlanta crews clear Bell Street homeless encampment under new safety protocols

Atlanta closes Bell Street homeless encampment

Atlanta police and public works crews have begun closing a prominent homeless encampment near Grady Memorial Hospital as part of a multi-year "Downtown Rising" initiative to transition residents into permanent housing.

ATLANTA - Atlanta city crews and police officers dressed in protective gear began the process of closing a homeless encampment on Bell Street, Friday afternoon.

Bell Street cleanup

What we know:

The cleanup, which officials say has been six months in the works, involved Atlanta Police and public works crews removing concrete Jersey barriers and clearing debris under the Bell Street Bridge. 

According to Atlanta Police, the delay in clearing this specific site was due to waiting for available "bandwidth" for housing placements. So far, police said about 12 people from the Bell Street area have been transitioned into permanent supportive or rapid housing through the city's partnership with Partners for Home.

Police confirmed they will patrol the site for the next 10 days to prevent anyone from setting up camp again.

‘We will recheck the trash piles’

The backstory:

Atlanta Police officials said they are following the recommendations of the city's 90-day Homelessness Task Force. 

The task force was created following the death of Cornelius Taylor last year. Taylor was hit by a truck during a sweep of a homeless encampment in the Sweet Auburn community.

"We will recheck the trash piles and anything else just to make sure that there is nobody laying in that stuff or laying in any of that material that could possibly be hurt," said Atlanta Police Maj. Jeff Cantin.

‘Trying to do it in a nice way’

What they're saying:

Cathryn Vassell, the CEO of Partners for Home, released a statement that reads: 

"Over the past several months, our outreach partners have engaged individuals living at the Bell Street Bridge encampment to identify a pathway to housing and wraparound services to meet the unique needs of each individual.  

"To date, this outreach and coordination effort has led to housing and dedicated case worker assignment for 11 households and shelter placement for one additional household. Outreach teams will be present Friday to support closure efforts and continue working with individuals on housing and support solutions.

"The Bell Street Bridge encampment was prioritized for closure as part of Downtown Rising – the first phase of Atlanta Rising, a multi-year campaign launched in 2025 to end unsheltered homelessness citywide and make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. Partners for HOME is committed to supporting our homeless neighbors, prioritizing outreach, housing pathways and service connections in our approach. Through this effort, we are changing the culture on our streets and in our shelters – reinforcing with every engagement that we are offering a pathway to housing and support."

Stacy Mitchell, who had friends living at the encampment, felt the action was overdue.

"They should have been there years ago and gotten people a place to stay," Mitchell said. "But, they let it just keep building up."

Meanwhile, Chris Moye, who was on-site handing out pops to those being displaced, noted the presence of medical personnel.

"They've got the ambulance out there. It looks like they're kind of helping people, trying to do it in a nice way, it seems," Moye observed.