Daniel Wilkerson is an Emmy Award-winning reporter for CBS News Atlanta's 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
A proposed homeless services campus near the Beltline is drawing strong reaction in one northwest Atlanta neighborhood.
Some people living in the area say they support helping those in need, but are worried about what a facility serving hundreds of people a night could mean for their community.
For Marquita Blackburn, the issue became real after an incident outside her home.
"Cameras were going off. Next thing you know, I stepped outside. I saw a homeless guy. He was screaming, asking for help. He was also stating that he wanted to hurt himself. So I called my neighbor and was like, 'Hey, there's a homeless guy outside,'" Blackburn recalled.
She said police and EMTs responded, but they told her there was little they could do.
"They asked him if he needed any help. He said, 'No.' They left him there. APD came out. They said that there was nothing that they can do," Blackburn said. "We were like, 'OK.' We didn't know what to do ourselves, so we went back inside."
Now she and other people living in the area say they are concerned about a proposal that would build a homeless services hub near the Beltline.
City Councilmember Byron Amos said Atlanta Mission is looking at a property along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.
Amos said the organization wants to bring multiple services to one location.
"The Atlanta Mission is looking to centralize all of their unhoused services," he said.
Amos said he has heard the facility could serve hundreds of people each night.
"I have heard different numbers," he said. "I have heard 900, up to a thousand."
Blackburn said she understands the challenges people experiencing homelessness face.
"I've helped them feed them, clothe them. I've donated to plenty of shelters. I'll see them. I'll bring extra food, and I'll pack it up, and I will take it to them, so that they don't have to eat out of the trash," said Blackburn.
Still, she said the safety of her five children is her main concern.
If the project moves forward, Amos says the city would need to address what comes with a facility of its proposed size.
"If we're going to invest city services like law enforcement, then there needs to be a price paid by the people that is forcing us to do so," he said. "So I see no pluses at this particular time in this development."
Atlanta Mission sent CBS News Atlanta this statement:
"At the moment, we are focusing on engaging with our neighbors and community stakeholders as we reimagine together how this property could better serve individuals and families facing poverty and homelessness, while also delivering lasting benefits to the neighborhood."
Addressing homelessness has been a key initiative for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens' administration. CBS News Atlanta also reached out to the City of Atlanta about the proposed project but has not heard back.