SALT LAKE CITY — A big homeless camp in Salt Lake Metropolis was eliminated by the county well being division Thursday.
The camp was positioned on 700 West beneath the ramp to Interstate 15 from 500 South. The well being division began at round 10 a.m. and completed round 4 p.m.
In keeping with well being officers, round 100 tons of trash, particles, and possessions had been taken by truck from the positioning.
“When you will have rubbish, trash, feces, needles, and the entire different issues that occur when folks dwell with out applicable housing, that builds up,” mentioned Dale Keller, Common Supervisor of Salt Lake Valley Environmental Well being.
These residing on the website weren’t comfortable concerning the clean-up and are uncertain the place to go subsequent.
“The one purpose we did that is that there was nowhere for us to go. As {couples} as households, there aren’t any obtainable shelters,” mentioned Stacy Johnson, one of many leaders of the camp. “We do not wish to be within the public view 24 hours a day bearing its disgrace…That is to me is theft. This can be a crime what’s taking place to us!”
Others like Wendy Garvin, the President and Government Director of Unsheltered Utah, are additionally not comfortable concerning the clean-up.
“We’re a bit of annoyed with that as a result of this can be a actually good location for a camp,” Garvin mentioned. “There’s virtually no industrial enterprise again right here. There is no residence so there isn’t any there’s no person to complain.”
The Well being Division confirmed that they held off on shifting this particular camp longer than regular as a result of they needed to verify sufficient beds had been obtainable for these on the camp.
“We affirm this morning, there have been over 100 beds obtainable,” Keller mentioned. “We’ve got a reasonably excessive useful resource resistive group. Fifteen or twenty years in the past, we simply did not see unsheltered folks through the winter.”
Salt Lake Metropolis Mayor Erin Mendenhall supplied an announcement expressing that whereas homelessness is just not against the law, some camps may cause critical well being and security dangers.
“We’ve got a accountability to our residents–housed and unhoused–and companies to make sure that public areas are protected, clear and accessible. Homelessness is just not against the law, however some camps can and do current critical well being and security dangers to these residing in them and the general public at giant.” Mayor Erin Mendenhall mentioned in an announcement including “We depend on our companions on the Salt Lake County Well being Division to find out when a camp poses a danger to well being and security and must be abated. Our outreach crew, public companies, and police departments present supportive companies to make sure that the abatement proceeds in a way that’s protected for well being division staff and the unsheltered. We additionally work carefully with the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to Finish Homelessness, whose position it’s to find out shelter wants, to assist unsheltered folks hook up with housing and companies.”
