Philadelphia city workers and police began clearing out a homeless encampment of around 75 people living in tents along a sidewalk as part of the city’s planned encampment resolution. The cleanup, scheduled to start at 8 a.m., began as early as 7 a.m. with city workers using leaf blowers and street sweepers.
City officials issued a 30-day encampment resolution notice and posted signs in the area notifying residents to dismantle tents or structures that pose public health and safety hazards and obstruct sidewalk passage. This closure was necessary to ensure the safety of city outreach teams engaging individuals during the final day of the encampment resolution.
Mayor Cherelle Parker’s initiative aimed to address the open-air drug market in Kensington, a troubled neighborhood of the city. Prior to the deadline, the city successfully transitioned about 28 people into treatment. However, some residents feel that the resolution merely relocates the issue rather than solving it.
Despite efforts to provide housing, services, and treatment options to those experiencing homelessness at the encampment, some individuals like Jay, a 36-year-old from Florida and a drug user, feel that the resolution only temporarily disperses the population only for them to return afterwards.
