Play Fair ATL urges Atlanta to protect residents from World Cup displacement
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As Atlanta prepares to host hundreds of thousands of visitors for FIFA World Cup matches this summer, a coalition of advocacy groups wants the city to ensure that residents aren't negatively impacted by the tournament.
Why it matters: The eight games Atlanta is set to host in June and July will put the city back in the global sports spotlight for the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics.
The latest: Play Fair ATL is urging Atlanta to protect current residents from displacement, ensure unhoused people have long-term stable housing, support workers' rights to fair wages and allow everyone to enjoy the festivities without fear of targeting by federal immigration agents.
What they're saying: Mega-events like the World Cup can "speed up or exacerbate some of the problems" Atlanta is facing, said Michael Collins, a member of the group, which is a coalition of social justice, housing, labor rights and other policy organizations.
- He said Atlanta is "on course to repeat the mistakes of 1996," when large events adversely affected communities of color, including Vine City, English Avenue and Castleberry Hill.
- Some of those burdens include increased rents and displacement of unhoused people to their neighborhoods.
- "They're not seeing any of the benefits in the way that Downtown is seeing for this World Cup," he said.
Zoom in: The city's Downtown Rising initiative calls for finding shelter for 400 homeless people in the Downtown area.
- Collins said the city's program should make sure those residents secure permanent supportive housing, not just temporary setups.
- Coalition member Mariah Parker told Axios the city should also dedicate 5% of its hotel-motel tax proceeds to its Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
The other side: Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for HOME, a nonprofit that helps manage the city's strategy to reduce homelessness, said the Downtown Rising effort has established 752 permanent supportive housing units since it began last summer.
- More than 330 formerly unhoused people are now residing in those units, and another 78 people are set to move in, Vassell said.
- She said they expect to surpass the goal of housing 400 people in the targeted area by mid-February.
- "This work will extend far beyond major upcoming events like the FIFA World Cup and intends to foster a thriving urban core — for everyone — for years to come," she said.
Friction point: Federal immigration agents are also expected to have a presence in Atlanta, so that could make some visitors and residents wary of celebrating the games, Collins said.
What we're watching: Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, said last week that the city will remain "inclusive and welcoming," the AJC reported.
Go deeper: Atlanta Airbnb hosts could earn $3M during 2026 World Cup games