The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta on Thursday said it is preparing to help homeless men who could be displaced from the sprawling shelter at Peachtree and Pine streets, which is facing possible eviction and having its water shut off.
The shelter, which houses up to 1,000 men a night, is run by the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless. For two years, the task force has mounted highly contentious litigation to keep operating, but has recently lost a number of key court decisions.
The United Way's president, Milton J. Little Jr., said the new initiative, dubbed Operation RESPECT, will offer social services and emergency and permanent housing to those who need it -- whether they are displaced from the shelter or continue to reside at Peachtree and Pine, provided the utilities stay on.
"Operation RESPECT demonstrates the community’s attempt to galvanize and administer compassionate services to those in need," he said. "This situation presents an opportunity for the entire community to rally together on behalf of the residents at this shelter and guide them onto a path to self-sufficiency and an improved quality of life."
At a recent hearing in federal court, Jack Hardin, a member of the United Way Regional Commission on Homelessness, said the organization estimates it could find housing for about 500 men in a six-month period if the shelter closes. The United Way would turn to about five other local shelters, including the Atlanta Union Mission, Jefferson Place and City of Refuge, which will use cots and mats to accommodate the overflow, he said.
The United Way has funds it can use to deal with an emergency such as the displacement of hundreds of men from the Peachtree and Pine shelter, he said. "We would give this population the priority with respect to those resources," he said.
Anita Beaty, director of the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Earlier this month, Beaty said she had no plans to leave the shelter. "We will occupy this facility if we have to," she said.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash dismissed the task force's lawsuit against the city. He also denied the task force's request to have the city continue providing water to the shelter while an appeal is being pursued. Thrash said he would only allow that if the task force posted a bond for the amount of money it owes, which the task force said it was unable to do.
"The city will be free to take what action it deems appropriate," Thrash said, referring to whether the water could be turned off. "That's a political decision for the city to make."
Janet Ward, a spokeswoman for the city's Watershed Management Department, said Thursday the city is not shutting off the shelter's water supply. The task force owes the city $147,772 in overdue water bills, she said.
In the other court case, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall recently issued an eviction order against the shelter in favor of a Norcross developer who purchased $900,000 in loans on the property in January 2010. But Schwall recently vacated that dispossessory order to consider a motion to remove him from the case.
Staff writer Jeremiah McWilliams contributed to this article.
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