Bangor Police Department Asking People To Stop Donating Tents

Being homeless at any time or place is a sad hardship that people sometimes have to face. It doesn't matter if it's long term or short term, housing insecurity is brutal. That said, a lot of very well-meaning folks have been donating camping gear to help homeless people. In fact, in Belfast, the town has gone so far as to donate tents to folks in need.

However, the Bangor Police Department is hoping you might consider stopping this practice. The city has been doing all they can to discourage people from camping within the city. Especially in the colder months, where the police station and hospitals can become crowded with folks seeking warmth.

Sgt. Wade Betters of the BPD said this to WABI-TV5:

The city is behind the housing first model. Ultimately, we want to find housing for people and then wrap services around them that they may need after they've gained that housing, so that they can keep that housing. But, when you're standing in a campsite in the middle of winter and you see thousands of dollars of gear rotting or frozen to the ground, it's too bad that money couldn't have been used to secure a motel room for a week or two.

The city is working with various organizations to try and create more facilities to help with the homeless situation, and maybe the money that folks are willing to spend on camping gear for these folks could be put to better long term use. If the end goal is to get them inside, it could be money better spent.