Old Wheat Street encampment: People challenge city's decommission plan

Old Wheat Street encampment: People speak out against city's decommission plan

People are speaking out against the city's plans to decommission the Old Wheat Street encampment on Thursday.

ATLANTA - People are speaking out against the city's plans to decommission the Old Wheat Street encampment on Thursday.

The backstory:

Investigators say crews hit and killed Cornelius Taylor in his tent back in January while working to clear the encampment near the king center.

After Taylor's death, the city temporarily stopped sweeps and created a homelessness task force.

What they're saying:

"I'm hurting because I thought that after all of this that we would have a place to call home," Lolita Griffeth, Cornelius Taylor's Fiancé, said.

"It's not just me it's not about me, all our friends. Where are we going to live?" she added.

"Right after we had turned in a plan to not only house but provide wrap-around services, the city not only responded to that plan, they put up eviction signs," Tim Franzen with the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said.

City leaders say they've secured housing units for everyone living on Old Wheat Street.

The non-profit Partners for Home says it's made housing offers at Welcome House to everyone living at the encampment.

"We've been working very closely with seasoned outreach teams in the continuum of care who have been engaging the 14 residents of the encampment for several months," Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for Home, said.

"Once folks are moved into housing we've contracted with 3 keys to provide a full time case manager. That case manager will work with those individuals that move into Welcome House for individuals that move elsewhere they will also have assigned case management," she added.

The Atlanta Police Department will staff the Old Wheat Street location around the clock after it's closed and cleaned.

"We will do our best to work with anybody that's trying to come back there and refer them either to diversion or we'll have to take further steps with the hope team and our personnel," Major Jeffrey Cantin said.