Albany’s new city law authorizing officially permitted homeless camps passed the city council withhout opposition this week with one big question unanswered.
Hoping to prevent or at least to reduce illegal camping by the homeless, Albany city officials are working on a proposal to authorize temporary encampments in certain places such as church parking lots.
Leaders in the Oregon legislature say they want to encourage more housing to be built and to reduce the number of homeless people. That’s what they say, but their legislation does nothing to achieve that goal.
Before any more time time goes by, I would like to acknowledge the good job of cleaning up the bank of Cox Creek between the railroad tracks and Salem Avenue in Albany.
There has been considerable progress in the cleanup of vagrant camps along two of Albany’s multi-use paths. You cannot help but notice this if you go past these places every few days.
The homeless camp on the Dave Clark Riverfront Path featured in Friday’s story had been cleared by Friday afternoon.
Preparing Albany’s camp site for homeless
A bike ride Wednesday took me past the vacant lot at 503 Ninth Ave. S.E., where the city of Albany plans to have homeless people camp if they can’t or won’t go to a shelter.
Tags: city camping sites, homeless, homeless camps, Ninth and Jackson, Oregon homeless