People experiencing homelessness say they have nowhere to go in Massachusetts city after camping ban
LOWELL - A church and day center for those experiencing homelessness in Lowell, Massachusetts has been fined for a trash violation as the city sees its first snow of the season.
"There's no place to go"
"I stood outside in the rain all day yesterday. My clothes are still wet," Warren Stevens told WBZ-TV. He was left drenched from the overnight storm. Stevens is homeless and ever since the city of Lowell began cracking down on homeless encampments – he has nowhere to go. WBZ-TV found him at the Eliot Church Day Center on Summer Street.
"Passing all these laws are making it so much harder for us to get off the streets," Stevens said. "That's why people are hanging out here. There's no place to go."
The Eliot Church Day Center has seen an influx of homeless people come in even before police started cracking down on camping in public spaces.
"Policing people and fining people for not having a home doesn't seem to be the right approach. It doesn't solve the problem," said their director of operations, Charly Ott.
The homeless end up at the Day Center, leaving behind trash on the sidewalks and front steps. The church received a $300 fine for the city for the mess, even when their own resources are tight.
"My staff has had to take a 25% pay cut so that we could stay open past November 1 this year," Ott explained.
Lowell: Solutions in the works
City Manager Thomas Golden said solutions are in the works, but they can't come soon enough.
"In the city of Lowell alone, the only thing we can do right now with the lack of additional land we have is to build vertical," Golden explained. "Vertical is going to take time."
It's adding pressure on the city and its shelters to increase the number of beds as the temperatures begin to rapidly drop.
"We need to find and agree on a place where they can go. This is a question that has not been answered yet," Ott said.