Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves hopes to secure a deal with the city of Atlanta next month that could eventually lead to the reopening of the Jefferson Place homeless shelter.
Recently, Eaves and Mayor Kasim Reed revived talks to reopen the Atlanta shelter.
The county is negotiating to lease the facility to the city's development authority, which would contract with a third party to operate the shelter. In a meeting Monday with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Editorial Board, Eaves said he hopes to complete negotiations in the next 30 days.
Assuming the two governments can cut a deal, it’s unclear how soon Jefferson Place could reopen. The city would still need to find an organization to run the shelter.
Jefferson Place, which served about 150 homeless men, closed last year amid county budget cuts and a dispute between the city and county over control of a board to govern the facility. A 50-bed transition center there remains open.
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