Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams and local nonprofit officials announced plans to assist those living under the Mulberry Street Bridge.
Harrisburg plans to close a large homeless encampment in the city, but officials ensured that they have plans to assist those being displaced.
At a press conference on Friday, Mayor Wanda Williams, city officials and nonprofit leaders discussed their plans to relocate and provide help to those who soon will be vacating the encampment under the Mulberry Street Bridge.
“It was really a critical emergency,” said Williams of the decision to close the camp. “This was not something that we wanted to do, but we had to do because it was a critical moment. At this point, we are working with all the different entities to come up with a plan.”
On Thursday, the city announced that it would close the encampment, which is one of the largest in Harrisburg, due to health and safety hazards, a rat infestation and a buildup of trash. Harrisburg is giving the people who live there until Thursday, Jan. 19, to move out.
After that, the public works department will clear and clean the area.
At the press conference, members of the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness (CACH) explained that they are working with the city to provide services for those impacted.
“We care about our clients, our homeless family as I would any of my friends,” said Corrie Lingenfelter, interim executive director of Downtown Daily Bread. “Our message here at Downtown Daily Bread is to say, our biggest concern is the safety of our clients and of the homeless population.”
According to the city, they are currently determining where to relocate people from under the Mulberry Street Bridge. They will choose a new site by Thursday, officials said.
Additionally, organizations like Downtown Daily Bread, Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area (CCU), Dauphin County Human Services and UPMC of Central Pa. are providing help to those who want it, they said.
Downtown Daily Bread and CCU both host winter overnight shelters, which all have the capacity for more people.
Officials also stressed the importance of organizations working together to provide a unified system of helping those in need.
“We are encouraging all of the grassroots organizations, all of the folks who are out there helping to connect with us, to connect with our social agencies so we can really make a huge, greater impact,” said Aisha Mobley, community mobilization and outreach coordinator at CCU.
According to Police Commissioner Thomas Carter, an increase in crime was one of the city’s main concerns and reasons for clearing the encampment. Since November, police received 16 incident calls to the area. There were six assaults, three drug overdoses, one mental illness-related incident, two reports of suspicious persons, one instance of trespassing, one traffic hazard and two warrants served, resulting in arrests, according to police data.
“This is a need that we see,” Carter said. “Now we are trying to get the people the help that they need.”
After the area is vacated and cleaned, the city said that it will not allow unhoused residents to return, based on its belief that the same problems would occur again, said Matt Maisel, communications director for the city.
However, in the coming days, they will be helping those who want help with finding housing and other services, he said.
“I just think this is a really great opportunity to look at a long-range plan for Dauphin County, for the city, and we really appreciate the collaboration,” said Randie Yeager, director of Dauphin County Human Services.
For more information about the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness, visit their website.
Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area is located at 413 S. 19th St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit their website.
Downtown Daily Bread is located at 234 South St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit their website.
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