A Kensington homeless encampment will be dismantled after the city of Philadelphia issued a 30-day encampment resolution notice that takes effect on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, May 8, Kensington Avenue from East Orleans Street to Allegheny Avenue will be closed in both directions so city outreach teams can enter the encampment to “work on a planned encampment resolution,” according to a statement from city officials.
The closure will take place between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. During the closure, drivers will be detoured to Frankford Avenue and other nearby streets.
The closure of this encampment marks the end of a month-long process that started on April 4, when the city posted a 30-day notice on the 3000 and 3100 blocks of Kensington Avenue.
However, during this closure, the media will not be permitted to enter the area as the encampment will be cleared.
City officials claim this is intended to “protect the privacy” of those involved.
“We are not encouraging the media to cover the encampment since the outreach workers are trying to protect the privacy of individuals with whom they are engaging.
We also would like to minimize distractions and interference as outreach workers support the resolution,” city officials said in a note to members of the media.
After the city of Philadelphia issued a 30-day encampment resolution notice that goes into effect on Wednesday, the homeless encampment in Kensington is scheduled to be dismantled.
On Wednesday, May 8, Kensington Avenue from East Orleans Street to Allegheny Avenue will be closed in both directions so city outreach teams can enter the encampment to “work on a planned encampment resolution,” according to a statement from city officials.
“The temporary closure is needed to ensure the safety of city outreach teams as they engage individuals during the final day of encampment resolution on Wednesday, May 8, during which individuals residing at the encampment have been notified to dismantle any tents and structures that pose public health and safety hazards and obstruct sidewalk passage,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
The closure will happen sometime in the morning. m. plus three p.m. me.
Drivers will be redirected to Frankford Avenue and other adjacent streets during the closure.
The city placed a 30-day notice on the 3000 and 3100 blocks of Kensington Avenue on April 4, and that notice was followed by the closure of this encampment on April 4.
In order to guarantee that low-barrier housing, services, and connections to treatment are made available, the city claims that outreach teams and social services have been interacting with the people living in the encampment since the notice was posted.
As there is no one-size-fits-all solution for this persistent problem, Rosalind Pichardo of Operation Save Our City stated that “I think everyone needs to be at the table.”. “To address this crisis, a doctor or other medical professional’s factual assessment is necessary; a politician’s opinion is not acceptable. “.
Only roughly 75 people reside in the targeted area, despite the fact that city officials estimate there to be 700 homeless people in the neighborhood.
However, during this closure, the media will not be permitted to enter the area as the encampment will be cleared. This is to “protect the privacy” of those involved, according to city officials.
We are not pushing the media to report on the encampment because the outreach workers are attempting to preserve the privacy of the people they are interacting with. Additionally, as outreach workers support the resolution, we would like to minimize disruptions and interference,” city officials wrote in a memo to the media.
There is a policy in Philadelphia that links individuals residing in an encampment with a shelter or treatment facility; however, they are not required to accept it.
