Maine Officials Set to Clear Out Massive Homeless Encampment

As the ever-concerning perfect storm culminates to cause record homelessness throughout Maine and the country, one Maine city is fixing to clear out a longtime encampment later this week.

It's no surprise that an array of issues is help drive the number of homeless Americans to never-before-seen numbers. From unstable inflation to record-high prices and the surging drug epidemic, homelessness is becoming an issue for cities large and small all across the country, and the world.

According to an article published by WGME 13, officials in the city of Portland, Maine will begin clearing out a massive homeless encampment later this week. Many proponents of the cleanout say that the 'tent city' has been a major eyesore for Portland. Opponents of the measure have argued that the 'residents' should be allowed to stay.

Either way, the decision was made by city leaders that the tents and trash have got to go. Portland officials said that now is the time to begin enforcing Portland's 'no camping' ordinance.

WGME reports that the encampment, situated underneath the massive Casco Bay Bridge, is currently home to more than 100 people. People have been camping both underneath the bridge as well as in the adjacent Harbor View Memorial Park.

There are shelters in the area that are available, but according to some, people are opting to live outside instead.

A Portland public works employee told WGME in part,

"People can't live together with their partners. There's no pets. It's hard to be an active user in the shelter. A lot of them don't want to live in a big room with 20 other people in the same room,”