The city of Atlanta plans to relocate homeless people before the city hosts eight matches of the FIFA World Cup in June 2026.
A $212 million development looks to rehouse hundreds of unhoused residents. City officials are naming the plan “Downtown Rising,” Fox 5 reports. The affordable housing development, located on Cooper Street in Mechanicsville, broke ground on June 13.
The World Cup will surely provide an economic boost for the city and preparation for the event is well underway. The removal of the unhoused people from street encampments is said to be one of those preparations
An unhoused person told the outlet, “They’re putting a Band-Aid on it. And once the World Cup is gone, I can’t predict what’s going to happen, but I kind of suspect it’s going to go in the same mode.”
The “same mode” is in reference to the displacement of Atlanta’s homeless population in preparation for the 1996 Olympics.
Keashaon Sullivan, a newly unhoused woman, said, “I don’t know how serious they are in assisting because they say, ‘Someone’s coming out to help you,’ but no one comes out to help us. ”We’re out here through tornadoes, through hail, through wind.”
The community of Mechanicsville is also concerned with the location of the new development. Many in the community object to the development. Similarly, worry about increased crime in an already struggling area has spurred concerns.
Partners for Home, the non-profit organization working with the city of Atlanta, told Fox 5 that not all the homes will be ready before the World Cup, but is working toward getting residents ready for the transition.
“Our sole goal and focus is around getting people assessed, document-ready, and then moved into permanent housing,” said the organization’s CEO, Cathryn Vassell.
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