The Bangor City Council voted on Monday to postpone clearing its massive 50-plus-person homeless encampment after it announced in October that the camp would be cleared by the end of this year.
[RELATED: Bangor Set to Shut Down Massive Homeless Encampment…]
The massive encampment at the intersection of Texas Avenue and Cleveland Street, colloquially referred to as “Camp Hope,” was set to be completely cleared, with residents placed in various shelters by December 31.
The clearing has now been moved to February 28.
Roughly 50 people now live in the camp, according to the Bangor newspaper, down from the 73 living there when the camp’s clearing was first announced.
The postponement was due to a delay in the conversion of the nearby Pine Tree Inn into a 41-unit permanent housing complex, to be called Theresa’s Place, for the homeless living in Camp Hope.
City Manager Debbie Laurie lamented the plight of the people she called “encampment neighbors” and said she believes that clearing the camp before the new housing facility is up and running will harm the homeless population.
She claimed that the city does still intend to move forward with its plan to clear the encampment next year.
“The change in closure date is not an abandonment of the City’s intention to close the
encampment. For numerous reasons already outlined before Council, the encampment site poses significant risks to the health, safety, and wellbeing of the people residing there,” said Laurie in a memo to the city council.
The camp was established near the start of the COVID pandemic and has remained occupied ever since.
Residents have been offered housing opportunities, but in most cases, they have refused and rejected assistance from aid workers.
Despite the homeless residents’ rejection of existing aid opportunities, Laurie believes that the new housing complex will remedy the situation.
The camp has become a hub of criminal activity, drug abuse and overdoses, violent assault, and even sexual offenses, while also posing a public health risk to residents and the public.
The camp poses a serious risk to the neighboring facilities, including the University of Maine at Augusta campus, healthcare offices, and even a daycare. Laurie warned in October that violent crime in the camp has spilled over onto neighboring properties.
Who didn’t expect this? Bangor is renowned for homeless encampment dithering. Why can’t these people just be rousted?
Dear homeless drug addicts, I think I heard Steve king is opening his house to your sorts for the winter. I understand it’s for research for a new book, something along the lines of how far would you go for a fix. Kind-a lord of the fly’s thing I guess. Only down side will be you must sign over all government support, it’s been a tough year, he lost a ton supporting a loser.
Any welfare seekers that traveled to Maine for easy access to too generous welfare benefits should be shipped back to their birthplace !
My goodness! We need to ship the homeless from Portland up to you guys!