ATLANTA — City crews and police are preparing to clear out a homeless encampment located under the downtown connector in Atlanta.
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The encampment sits at the Bell Street overpass, just outside Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta. Officials say the cleanup operation will begin Friday night.
Authorities plan to wait until after rush hour to close the road and begin removing debris and structures that remain at the site.
Tents and trash are still scattered along Bell Street, tucked between concrete barriers under the interstate overpass. In some areas, the sidewalk is blocked by the encampment.
“I wouldn’t walk through there unless I had a hazmat suit on,” one person in the area said.
Police say they have been working at the site since last summer to help people living in the encampment find housing and resources. Officers partnered with community advocates and the nonprofit Partners for HOME to assist those staying there.
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As of Thursday night, officials say 14 people had been transported to receive resources and rehousing support. Police say three more people were bused out of the area this week.
Authorities say three to four people remain and have not agreed to leave.
“The people that are refusing, we’re just going to ask them to leave tomorrow when we start the operation,” said Major Jeff Cantin with the Atlanta Police Department.
The cleanup will begin on Friday with crews removing barriers in the area. Workers are expected to return on Saturday to remove trash and remaining items from the site.
“You’ll see us out here, see Atlanta Fire out here… following new city policy for closing down encampments,” Cantin said.
Visitors to the hospital nearby say they welcome the cleanup but are concerned about where people living there will go.
“Every time we come up here to Grady, it’s pretty awful looking,” said Stanley Proffitt, who was visiting the hospital. “Just wondering where the homeless people will go after they’ve cleaned it up.”
The cleanup will follow new city guidelines for closing homeless encampments that were developed after the death of a homeless man during a cleanup near Old Wheat Street.
Officials say both the police and Atlanta Fire Rescue Department will be on scene during the operation. Crews will also use infrared heat-detecting cameras to ensure the area is clear and safe before the cleanup is complete.
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