Homeless Advocates Brace for Freezing Temps Without Peachtree-Pine

The Gateway Center said the City of Atlanta has more than 3400 unsheltered homeless people on any given night. 

Stephannie Stokes / WABE

A stretch of freezing nights is expected to hit Atlanta this weekend.

In years past, downtown Atlanta’s Peachtree-Pine shelter, for all its flaws, could take almost a thousand people at times like this. With it gone, the city said it plans to activate up to 125 emergency cold weather beds as well as several warming centers.

“When you lose 300- or 400-bed spaces, what are you going to replace it with?” said Raphael Holloway who heads the Gateway Center, which is coordinating the city’s efforts. “That takes some planning. It takes some financial support and the city has been working with others in the community to raise funds to do that.”