Settlement Means Peachtree-Pine Homeless Shelter Will Close

It’s the conclusion of a years-long lawsuit between the two parties over a 2010 foreclosure on the building.

Anita Beaty used to direct the shelter but retired earlier this year and wasn’t involved in the settlement. She said she’s disappointed.

“I think we’re in a pretty terrible place right now,” Beaty said. “And it looks like the downtown power people have won.”

Peachtree-Pine has long been criticized for poor conditions, and the city has said it doesn’t support the shelter.

Last fall, the city even started exploring the possibility of taking over the property, using eminent domain.

The United Way’s Regional Commission on Homelessness is working out plans to absorb the shelter’s current residents.

Co-chair Jack Hardin said his group has been prepared, as the lawsuit has been in courts for years.

“We’re well along in the process of developing alternative sites for some additional shelter beds,” Hardin said. “And then we’ll assess how many of those we need as we get to know more and more about the population.”

The Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless has run the shelter at Peachtree Street and Pine Street for two decades. It is one of the largest in the region.

The task force is receiving compensation as part of the settlement.