Photo: City of Lowell
LOWELL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The city of Lowell is enforcing a recently passed ordinance that will crack down on homeless encampments.
The ordinance, passed by Lowell City Council last month in a 10-1 vote, bans the presence of outdoor encampments on public lands. But enforcement was not set to start until Monday.
The new law says that local police have the power to arrest or fine any person who camps or maintains a campsite on any street, sidewalk, school or public park if an alternative shelter is not available.
Patricia Hiort, founder of the non-profit Matthew 25, said that while encampments on public property is problematic, she doesn’t believe that arresting those who are experiencing homelessness is a solution to the problem.
“So, we think we’re going to arrest our way out of this situation and we’re not. We’re going to make it harder for them to get housing later,” she said.
Read More: Homelessness Problem In Lowell Causing Ongoing Issues For Businesses
While the ordinance said that authorities can arrest or cite someone who refuses to leave their campsite after being offered shelter, in some cases it’s not that simple.
“A lot of [people] are being offered shelter out of state or very far away which leaves them without their doctors or any support system,” Hiort added.
The Lowell Police Department told WBZ NewsRadio that they did not make any arrests related to the encampment ban over the weekend despite reports by homeless rights advocates to the contrary.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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