Clayton County needs permanent location for warming station, activist says

As temperatures are expected to hit the teens or single digits overnight, Clayton County officials are teaming up with the Clayton County School District to make a middle school available as a warming station.

A community activist in Clayton County says he’d like to see better coordination where county facilities are chosen in advance to prevent a last-minute scramble.

Drew Andrews showed Channel 2′s Tom Jones why a permanent location for a warming center is badly needed.

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“This is an abandoned hotel,” Andrews said as he led Jones outside the dilapidated hotel where people live.

He said about 10 homeless people live here, including Marine Corps veteran Joseph Sanders.

Andrews is here to check on him and others in advance of the temperatures plunging.

“So just want to make sure you’re in a warm and safe place,” Andrews told Sanders.

Sanders said he’s not worried about himself, but he’s worried about other homeless families and kids.

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That’s why he’s leery about going to a warming shelter — he doesn’t want to take room from others.

“I would feel guilty to get off the street knowing that I’m leaving some of these kids out here,” he said.

The county just announced the opening of a temporary warming station at Sequoyah Middle School in partnership with the school district.

Andrews would like the county to come up with a plan where it can avoid scrambling to find a place.

“So when temperatures are, say, 32 degrees, it triggers a process and action,” he said.

Clayton County Chairman Jeff Turner says the county, the school system and businesses deal with the issue collaboratively right now.

“We are committed to providing this resource to assist those in need during what is anticipated to be one of the coldest days of the year,” Turner said.

Jones also visited a husband and wife living in a tent just off I-75 near Tara Boulevard.

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“Are you gonna be warm in there?” he asked. “Yeah. We got plenty of blankets,” said Malaykha Ma’ at EL.

They don’t plan to go to the warming station. They plan to tough it out there.

“For those who feel like they need to be on the inside it’s fine by me. We embrace all temperatures,” she said.

Andrews said people are sleeping in cars, tents and other places around the county.

That’s why he said it’s important the area has a warming station.

Last year a commissioner coordinated with a local business and that served as a warming center.

Turner said the county, the school district and businesses are able to come together to deal with this issue effectively.

The warming center at Sequoyah Middle will open Friday at noon.

If you would like to volunteer there, call 770-473-3934.

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