Norcross mayor assembling task force to address complaints about homeless people at local library

NORCROSS, Ga. — The mayor of Norcross is assembling a task force to recruit people for solutions after he says there have been complaints about homeless people in the local library.

The Norcross City Council approved the creation of a homeless task force this month.

Mayor Craig Newton says a resident reached out after an interaction he had with a homeless person inside of the Norcross branch of the Gwinnett County Library.

“They can come and maybe go in the restroom and wash their hands or wash off or change clothes, but it’s not really the place for that,” said Mayor Newton.

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A Norcross Police report from January 2024 cited “a growing number of individuals loitering after hours” at the location on Buford Highway before an arrest was made.

Police arrested a man they describe as unhoused when they found him with stolen credit cards and drugs while sleeping inside an elevator at around 1 in the morning.

“It’s a challenge that demands our immediate attention,” said Mayor Newton. “Not only that but our compassion.”

A Gwinnett County Library spokesperson says there has been full-time security since last August at the Norcross branch. She added there have been no complaints made to library staff about restroom use or police investigations.

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Most homeless individuals do not commit crimes in the city of Norcross, Mayor Newton said.

His homeless task force was created to find ways to help people turn their lives around.

“We don’t have a structure,” he said. “All we can do is simply pick them up and move them from one place to another.”

Mayor Newton says he is recruiting people from across the metro for solutions that focus on mental health and housing.

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