Men inside Atlanta's Peachtree-Pine homeless shelter
Men outside Atlanta's Peachtree-Pine homeless shelter.
ATLANTA (WXIA) -- For the past 15 years, a huge shelter for homeless men at Peachtree and Pine streets in downtown Atlanta has either been a chaotic eyesore to some or a refuge of last resort for the desperate.
Way behind in its bills, the shelter faces court-ordered eviction because the property has been bought by a developer.
Critics say that the shelter's "no strings attached" policy kept many homeless from getting addiction or mental health treatment.
Supporters claim closing it will put hundreds of men out on the streets with nowhere else to stay.
Either way, the shelter will be taken over this Wednesday by United Way.
"All of this is being done by the community," Protip Biswas told 11Alive News on Monday.
He's director of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta's Commission on Homelessness.
"Connect them with other community resources so people with mental illness can get the right mental health services, people with addiction, if there's any, can get the addiction services, people who need jobs can get help hopefully finding a job," Biswas said.
But he admits it will be a tall order that will need lots of help from many community groups.
The goal is to find other housing for about 20 to 25 men a week.
That will add up to more than 500 over the next six months.
Over the past seven years, United Way has found homes for more than 2,000 people, but that's less than 300 a year.
And then there's the cost.
It's estimated that new housing will cost about $ 4 million a year for those 500 men, about $8,000 each.
All of this, of course, could be delayed if a higher court overturns the judge's order.
After all, it's a legal battle that has lasted more than a decade.