Homeless encampment blocking sidewalk under underpass in southwest Atlanta

[00:00:00]11 complaints from people who live in the shadow of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

[00:00:04]They are shedding a light on a growing problem across the city.

[00:00:07]>> Yeah, residents there say the number of homeless people showing up in their neighborhood is growing.

[00:00:12]>> The complaints reflect information gathered earlier this year during the point-in-time count. Officials noted a 6% increase in total homelessness when compared to 2025.

[00:00:22]>> Atlanta News First anchor Victor Williams is near the intersection of Glenn Street and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in Southwest Atlanta tonight speaking with residents who say the homeless problem is spilling onto the sidewalks.

[00:00:34]>> Yeah, well, this is that underpass that we have been talking about. You can see tents, all types of cardboard boxes, and even sheets right here on the entrance to this sidewalk, and it's really turned into a headache for the people that live in this area just trying to get from point A to point B.

[00:00:53]>> Go over there on the bridge, you can't get through the other end of the bridge.

[00:00:57]Look at all this.

[00:00:58]>> For the people living near Glenn Street and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, this underpass is used by cars, pedestrians, and even senior citizens.

[00:01:07]But, the problem is that residents say the sidewalk has been taken over by people who are unhoused.

[00:01:12]>> There's no walk through there whatsoever.

[00:01:17]They need to just clean up this whole area down here just like they cleaned up Tent City.

[00:01:22]If they cleaned up Tent City, they could clean this up.

[00:01:25]>> Other residents like Shamone Carr feel the exact same way.

[00:01:29]>> I think the city should find somewhere for the displaced people.

[00:01:33]Um, I'm from this old area, kind of the Zone 3 area, and uh you know, yeah, we got to find somewhere for these people to go.

[00:01:40]>> These people are hoping that in the shadow of the World Cup that the community can shine a light on underlying issues.

[00:01:46]>> We need some help in this community.

[00:01:49]And y'all got so much going on talking about the game and everything. The game coming, the game coming. Well, what about our community?

[00:01:56]>> Now, we reached out to Councilman Jason Dozier who represents this area and unfortunately at this point in time, we have yet to hear anything back. But, we have also made reaches out to several homeless organizations to help those that are unhoused to hopefully find this person over here some help. For now, we are in Southwest Atlanta, Victor Williams, Atlanta News First.