As Atlanta gears up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the city is implementing the Downtown Rising initiative, aimed at addressing homelessness in the downtown area.
Cathryn Vassell, Chief Executive of Partners for Home, emphasized that this coordinated effort, which began in 2024, is part of a long-term commitment to provide shelter and housing for the city’s unsheltered population.
“All of the work that we’re doing is geared to sustain well beyond the World Cup. That is the goal,” Vassell stated, highlighting the initiative’s broader ambitions.
Downtown Rising employs a ‘housing first’ approach, which includes outreach and rehousing support, aiming to eliminate the barriers that prevent individuals from securing shelter while also offering comprehensive mental health and medical services.
However, skepticism surrounds the city’s plan, especially considering Atlanta’s historical context during major sporting events.
Critics reference the city’s treatment of its homeless population during the 1996 Summer Olympics, when thousands were arrested in efforts to ‘clean up’ downtown.
Jesse Rabinowitz from the National Homelessness Law Center pointed out that while urgency can lead to housing solutions in a compressed timeline, such efforts should not be contingent upon upcoming sporting events.
“It shouldn’t take a major sports event to have them move with urgency to solve homelessness,” Rabinowitz remarked.
As many as 300,000 visitors are expected to descend on Atlanta for the World Cup, and some fear that the city’s plan may be more about aesthetics than substantive change.
Michael Collins, senior director of Color of Change, expressed concerns regarding the potential consequences for homeless individuals who may refuse to leave downtown.
He warned that some could end up incarcerated in Fulton County jail, which has been flagged for its unacceptable conditions.
Collins also suggested that the approach of forcing individuals out of the area might raise constitutional questions.
“The city has always had major challenges in housing homeless people,” he stated, addressing the complexity of services available to those experiencing homelessness.
According to the Downtown Rising document, outreach efforts are slated to begin in March 2025, with strategies to address encampment closures already in progress.
A recent point-in-time count by Partners for Home indicated that nearly 2,900 individuals are homeless in the city, with over 1,000 unsheltered, reflecting a slight increase from previous years.
John Fischer, president of the Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association, has been involved in discussions surrounding the Downtown Rising initiative.
Fischer highlighted that the meetings he attended focused primarily on rehousing efforts, a sentiment echoed by many present in the discussions.
The committee leading Downtown Rising is using successful models from cities like Dallas as references for their strategies.
Mandy Chapman Semple of Clutch Consulting confirmed that Atlanta’s approach would mirror that of Dallas, promoting sustainable solutions without resorting to criminalization or forced displacement.
Under the proposed strategies, individuals refusing housing offers may be told they cannot remain in encampments, with potential removal enforced if they remain.
However, some community members are apprehensive, feeling that the rush to clear encampments is merely a surface-level solution to a much deeper problem.
“Some people are concerned that the city is moving too fast and the goal of the effort is just to tidy up the city for the World Cup,” Fischer noted.
This raised a critical question about the sustainability of the approach, emphasizing the need for genuine solutions rather than temporary fixes.
The press secretary for Mayor Andre Dickens, Michael Smith, reassured the community that Downtown Rising is part of a comprehensive revitalization effort that goes beyond the World Cup.
Smith referenced the mayor’s commitment of $60 million for homeless services as part of a long-term strategy, not merely a response to a single event.
Vassell reaffirmed her organization’s commitment to providing genuine housing solutions for downtown’s homeless residents, aiming to avoid the involuntary displacements that have historically accompanied major events.
Criticism has been directed at Dickens for what some perceive as an overly aggressive approach to clearing encampments.
Rabinowitz warned that utilizing large sporting events as an excuse to cite or jail unhoused individuals only exacerbates homelessness and hinders efforts to connect people with housing.
Earlier this year, tragic events further compounded criticism of the city’s tactics when Cornelius Taylor was killed by a construction vehicle while in his tent.
In response to this incident, Mayor Dickens assembled a Homelessness Task Force, which aims to devise strategies to prevent similar tragedies and improve the city’s approach to homelessness.
The task force’s findings were released recently, reflecting a commitment to a more compassionate handling of homelessness in Atlanta, yet doubts remain about the overall effectiveness of these strategies.
As other U.S. cities like Los Angeles and Seattle also prepare to address homelessness before significant events, the lessons from Atlanta’s past may serve as crucial points of reference.
Charles Steffen, a retired historian and professor, warned about the pitfalls of prioritizing camp clearings in anticipation of public events.
Steffen contended that such temporary fixes are symptomatic of a broader, systemic issue that cannot be resolved without addressing the root causes of homelessness.
He concluded, “You’re going to have homeless people as long as you decide not to address the question of housing.”
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