"SoNo" held back by shelter? (Atlanta: section 8, real estate)

[WorldChamp]

Does anyone know the deal with the homeless shelter ON Peachtree, at Pine Street? I was considering buying in this area until I noticed the shelter. Many people loitering around it, and lots of vagrancy. Whats the deal with this? Does anyone know if they are going to get rid of this? I mean, I support helping the homeless, but a shelter on our signature street? That just doesnt make sense. Are there more around this area? This area is going to be seriously held back if they dont get it off peachtree.

This area should be really hot right now, being by the civic center and right next to midtown.

[Iconographer]

It is a problem there, though not as bad as it was 5 years ago (the city finally responded to the outcry from residents of SoNo)...I know a couple of people living in Renaissance Park that even before the real estate bust were having to sell their condos for less than they paid for them, and this was why.

[postprime]

Originally Posted by WorldChamp

Does anyone know the deal with the homeless shelter ON Peachtree, at Pine Street? I was considering buying in this area until I noticed the shelter. Many people loitering around it, and lots of vagrancy. Whats the deal with this? Does anyone know if they are going to get rid of this? I mean, I support helping the homeless, but a shelter on our signature street? That just doesnt make sense. Are there more around this area? This area is going to be seriously held back if they dont get it off peachtree.

This area should be really hot right now, being by the civic center and right next to midtown.

This is probably the most controversial shelter in Atlanta. I like going to the Shakespeare Tavern next door, but the shelter makes it a dicey propisition.

[George Chong]

This is a social problem that obviously has no clear concrete answer. The local church (St. Luke's) is committed to serving the community and the homeless outreach program is to be commended.

Perhaps the local businesses, police, Midtown Blue and the Ambassador's Program could create a joint venture in creating a presence to make people "feel" more safe in the area and still allow the church to continue to do their incredible ministry?

[pinetreelover]

I agree that this is a big-picture social problem. I serve meals at this shelter through my church and we routinely serve 350 - 400 dinners on a Sunday afternoon. My point is that this is a very "popular" shelter with a large clientele that would be difficult to relocate. Shelters need to be located where their "customers" are, I just which there weren't so many customers...

[CityFan]

^ Please give some insights of these homeless people. Is there any way to reeducate them and find them a job so they can move on? It bothers me when I see homeless young male. They can do anything our society needs. I understand some homeless people have health issue, particularly mental health issue, but for those who are healthy shouldn't become homeless.

[gumboula]

Don't want to get on a soapbox, but the answer is unfortunately far more complex then cleaning up the homeless and putting them to work. While there are definitely mental health and substance abuse issues, this is also a result of broader labor market and housing market issues. And with the rapid fire relocation of Atlanta public housing residents to section 8, the problem may only get worse. If you want an informative read on the subject, get "Address Unknown" by James D. Wright. It is an old book (from when homelessness was more on our collective radar as a social problem), but still accurate and informative.

[CityFan]

On one forum, somebody mentioned that other states might transport homeless people to Altanta and drop them off, so Atlanta is the recipent of homeless people. Is that true? Why can't Atlanta do the same thing to other states and transport back to them the homeless people? It sounds funny if that is true.

[south-to-west]

I hate the invented term SoNo. I call that area on Peachtree either Bedford-Pine or No-Man's Land (dead space between Midtown and Downtown).

While the area east of Central Park (Piedmont Ave) towards the Old Fourth Ward is improving, the area west of the park up to Peachtree has been a non-starter. The new Publix has done well, but a lot of the recent residential development in that area has underperformed due to crime in the area. It is not uncommon to find crack viles and pipes broken along the pathway on the western edge of Central Park.

It's very obvious that the homeless shelter is a big problem for that area. One of the reasons is that the shelter doesn't screen its clientele, thus attracting drug addicts who would break into cars or sell the shirts of their backs for another hit. It actually has a bad reputation among the homeless population because of that. Homeless shelters are indeed important, but they need to make some vast improvements to that facility because it's a disgrace and I strongly believe that it attracts crime.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by gumboula

Don't want to get on a soapbox, but the answer is unfortunately far more complex then cleaning up the homeless and putting them to work. While there are definitely mental health and substance abuse issues, this is also a result of broader labor market and housing market issues. And with the rapid fire relocation of Atlanta public housing residents to section 8, the problem may only get worse. If you want an informative read on the subject, get "Address Unknown" by James D. Wright. It is an old book (from when homelessness was more on our collective radar as a social problem), but still accurate and informative.

I agree with you about the larger problem concerning homelessness, but the shelter in that area is really contributing to the problem of that one specific neighborhood.