The eviction and shuffling of homeless encampments in and around Portland have been in the news a lot lately. As the homeless folks migrate from one patch of green grass to another, we hear how there is no other place for them to go.
What seems obvious is that these folks are adept at camping out. They have their tents and sleeping bags and backpacks and methods for storing food and water. What they really need is a campground where they can set up camp and be at rest for a while.
Here’s a modest proposal: Maybe the city should buy a campground that happens to be for sale, or lease one from the owner-operators and allow the homeless persons to camp in the campground. Most of these places have toilets, showers, dumpsters and clean drinking water, and they are removed from the city proper and the nearby neighborhoods. Moreover, these campgrounds are already licensed and approved for the camping activity.
If no campgrounds happen to be available, maybe the city could create one for the specific purpose of giving the homeless folks a safe and secure place to live. As I said, these people are already good at camping out. They just need a safe location where they can put up a tent.
Randy Randall
Saco
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