Atlanta City Council wants to address homelessness at Hartsfield-Jackson airport

ATLANTA — An effort to reduce homelessness at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport took one step forward.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington learned that this week, the Atlanta City Council’s Transportation Committee, which oversees the airport, passed a resolution to urge airport officials to produce a comprehensive plan to help the unhoused community.

Advocate Keith Hardrick said when the hustle and bustle of the world’s busiest airport settles, a different scene emerges.

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He said about 200 unhoused individuals take refuge inside Hartsfield-Jackson airport during the early morning hours.

“The [MARTA] train stops at about 1:20 in the morning, and after that time about three to four trains roll into the airport that are not exiting the airport and these trains are filled with the homeless population,” Hardrick explained.

“We cannot have the homeless in the food court, looking for scraps, going through the garbage cans,” Atlanta City Councilmember Andrea L. Boone told Washington.

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“Come up with a comprehensive plan so we can take the resources to the airport and help those individuals,” Boone added.

In a statement Friday, airport officials wrote:

“ATL’s top priority is to provide a safe, secure and efficient experience for the passengers and employees who utilize the facility every day. We continue to work with our partners to address any issues of people experiencing homelessness seeking shelter at ATL. The Airport will direct those needing aid to appropriate alternatives and wrapround services while maintaining operations at the world’s busiest airport.”

There is currently no timeline for when that comprehensive plan will be completed.

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