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.
There have been improvised homeless camps along the Willamette River in Albany for years, but not up on the Dave Clark Riverfront Path — until now.
Starting next year, Albany will have a city employee to patrol the parks and trails, watch out for trouble, and do something about it when trouble is found.
Scenes like this — people camping downtown on public and private property — are what some members of the Albany City Council don’t want to encourage. That’s why they worry about a portable toilet that’s been set up outside the First Christian Church since last fall.
New signs have sprouted along a segment of Albany’s Dave Clark Path, opening the possibility that people could be cited for trespassing if they camp on the riverbank below.
Sheriff details Simpson Park operation
Monday’s operation to expel unauthorized campers from Albany’s Simpson Park has been widely covered on social media and the local paper. But the press release from Sheriff Michelle Duncan contained noteworthy details.
Tags: homeless, illegal camping, Linn sheriff, Simpson Park, vagrancy