Removal of homeless camp sought

A homeless camp that runs parallel to Route 315 near West Broad Street in Franklinton will soon be removed, city officials said Wednesday.

Hours earlier, a man was robbed and attacked near the camp. Police found the victim just before 2 a.m. near West Gay and North Green streets.

He had been punched, kicked and hit in the head before being robbed. The victim was initially listed in critical condition at Mount Carmel West hospital, but his condition was later upgraded to stable, according to Columbus police.

Trent Smith, executive director of the Franklinton Board of Trade, said the neighborhood is working on redevelopment, but incidents such as this one set it back.

“We need something actionable to happen,” Smith said. “We want the camp to be closed down. We want the property to be quarantined off so they can’t come back.”

Emerald Hernandez, a homeless-advocacy liaison for the city, said an Ohio Department of Transportation worker and city police officer determined on Monday that the property is state land.

“It’s a very complex and difficult process,” Hernandez said. “We’re really concerned as well. We understand those implications to community development.”

Steve Faulkner, owner of Playful Pets of Columbus on North Green Street, said he notices lots of pedestrians in the area. Faulkner, whose dog day-care and grooming business has been open since fall 2015, said homeless people sometimes ask customers for money.

Mounds of garbage bags, discarded syringes and empty beer cans litter the area, and rats scamper nearby. Faulkner said he worries that some of the activity might keep some customers from coming back.

Michelle Heritage, executive director of the Community Shelter Board, said there aren’t enough resources to eliminate homelessness. She said more resources are needed for rehabilitation, counseling and affordable housing. Area shelters typically have a waiting list, she said.

“It’s a community health issue,” Heritage said.

According to an annual, federally mandated count, Franklin County had 1,724 homeless people in January 2016. About 20 percent of them were sleeping outside or in places not meant for habitation.

Hernandez said outreach workers are aware of only two campers on ODOT property near the public right of way of southbound lanes of Route 315. She said neither was involved in the robbery.

Now that the landowner has been identified, the process to clear out the property and clean it up can begin. First, the campers have to find another place to live. That can be challenging because homeless people often have many barriers, including addiction, mentalhealth issues and criminal records. Also, the state has to agree on the date the campers will leave so it can send in cleanup workers afterward.

A nearby homeless camp, on McKinley Avenue along an industrial corridor, also is an eyesore and needs to be removed, Smith said.

“We’re not trying to be insensitive to these people’s conditions,” Smith said. “These are career homeless people. You can identify them by face. They are up and down Broad Street all the time.”

Hernandez encourages Franklinton residents and business owners to call 311 to report issues.