Homeless encampment beneath JFX offered housing, will leave area, advocates say
BALTIMORE -- A conflict that has been going on for a month may finally have a resolution.
The residents of a homeless encampment beneath the Jones Falls Expressway will leave the area after a month of clashes and negotiations with Baltimore City.
"My brother told me, 'Look at that sign," and it said the 28th and I was like, 'Wow,'" David Briggs, who lives under the bridge, said.
Nuwave Health Services, a Baltimore-based nonprofit, has offered to provide temporary housing and resources to the approximately 14 residents of the encampment, co-owner Angel Brown told WJZ.
The lead advocate for the group, Christina Flowers, has been working with Nuwave.
"We need to make sure as advocates that we are rebuilding the hope back into our homeless community and my plea for our city is to take notice and to recognize that we have a underserved homeless population in our city," Flowers said.
The encampment is in a lot where the Baltimore Farmer's Market is held every Sunday. Vendors who set up makeshift shops at the farmers' market were surprised to find people camped out in the spaces they pay for.
JUST IN: The group of people living under the Jones Falls Expressway for the last month plans to move out tomorrow.
— Jessica Albert (@JessicaAlbertTV) October 27, 2022
This comes after the city placed signs saying the area will be cleared.
Coming up tonight on @wjz: you’ll hear from members of this group and the city. pic.twitter.com/kTXygFpGDk
The city promptly put the residents of the camp on notice, instructing them to leave the area within a day. That deadline was changed to Friday, Oct. 28, according to a sign posted in the lot.
"All items must be removed from the area at that time," the notice says. "Abandoned property remaining in the area will be discarded. Unsoiled items that are tagged as personal belongings that can be safely stored will be transported to 2051 South Hanover Street and stored for 90 days before being discarded."
Faith Leach, the city's Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health and Human Services, came out Thursday to make sure things go smoothly when the site is cleared Friday.
"I am, personally, coming down here to make sure that I can connect them to shelter," Leach said. "So, that is what today is about. Is to make sure that we are de-escalating and avoiding any intense moments."
The city said it will be checking the area under the bridge on Friday and will clear out anything left there.