Philadelphia says homeless encampments must clear by Sept. 9

Philadelphia officials on Monday set a Sept. 9 deadline for people to leave a homeless encampment on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and a smaller encampment outside the headquarters of the city’s housing agency.

Mayor Jim Kenney said officials have negotiated with organizers and others in the encampments for nearly three months and credited the protests with bringing new attention to homelessness. But he said the camps could no longer be allowed to continue “for the health and safety of all involved, including the surrounding community.”

The mayor urged those still in the encampments to leave voluntarily before the 9 a.m. deadline next week.

A federal judge last week gave the green light for the city to clear out the encampments but required occupants to receive at least 72 hours’ notice and said any property seized must be stored and returned. City workers earlier posted closure notices but postponed plans for action after camp residents sought an injunction.

The tent encampment of about 150 people on the parkway was erected on a baseball field June 10. Organizers said the camps were tied to the Black Lives Matter movement and were demanding equal access to fair, safe and affordable housing. Philadelphia Housing Action — the coalition of groups that organized the encampment — said it was conceived as a form of political protest over homeless policies and the lack of low-income housing.

A lawyer representing occupants had asked the judge last week to block the eviction, arguing that the sites were protected by the First Amendment. City officials argued that the settlements violated city laws prohibiting camping and that the tent village on the Parkway, in particular, posed a threat to public “health, safety and welfare.”

City officials said they have established 260 rooms in hotels for people at particular risk for COVID-19, including those 65 and over or with underlying medical conditions. They also said they are planning a pilot “tiny house” village and are instituting a rapid rehousing program including up to two years of rental aid for people living on the street.