Come Monday, the people who live under the Queen City Parkway Bridge in Gainesville will be asked to leave the area or face charges of criminal trespass.
The Gainesville Police Department said the Georgia Department of Transportation, which owns the right-of-way, recently made a written request to clear the homeless camp under the bridge.
"This is one of those instances where they simply cannot get under there to do maintenance work, to do inspections, so we've all come together to alleviate this problem," said Gainesville Police Sgt. Kevin Holbrook.
Holbrook said not only will police officers go to those who live under the bridge to explain the plan, but also representatives from area non-profit agencies will be there to offer assistance to those who need shelter.
"We have these non-profits who have stepped up to assist us - everything from shelters to substance abuse organizations," Holbrook said.
Gainesville City Manager Bryan Lackey said while the goal is to clear the area, the city doesn't want to leave the people under the bridge without help.
"We know we need to be as compassionate as possible with that - not just to run them off, so to speak," Lackey said. "We need to give them a place to get help, a place to get assistance...and also to make sure we're not just moving them around our community to another place."
Holbrook acknowledged that many of the people who come to the bridge are not there as part of the homeless encampment, but he said they are criminals who make the area more dangerous. He said the criminal element has scared away some people who have tried to minister to the homeless population.
"There were a number of different organizations and agencies that were going underneath there to help these individuals; however, safety for those organizations and groups became an issue," Holbrook said.
Holbrook said the atmosphere under the bridge has become known for drug trade and violence.
When authorities go to the bridge on Monday, they will inform those who are there that they have a week to vacate the property.
"This is something that we have worked on for a number of weeks now," Holbrook said. "We don't want to make arrests on this. We want to go in and help these individuals first and foremost, but if need be as time goes on, then yes, we'll take that action."
Holbrook said the city will post signs in the area, and he said officials will erect barricades if needed to prevent anyone from camping out under the bridge after October 10.
