Salem Homeless Camp Solutions Sought Citywide: City Council

SALEM, MA — Salem is looking to find a solution to the proliferation of homeless encampments across the city — including the one at the South Harbor Walkway that has been there for nearly a year — with a new ordinance that would regulate overnight camping on public property and non-park property while encouraging the use of support services for those living in the encampments.

Ward 1 City Councilor Cindy Jerzylo introduced an order at the most recent Council meeting that the Committee on Public, Health, Safety and Environment and the Committee of the Whole meet with Mayor Dominick Pangallo and city department heads to discuss Pangallo's draft ordinance and other ways to assist the homeless population, while also addressing "health-related concerns, public nuisance matters, public safety for all and the wellbeing of people staying in that (South Harbor Walkway) area."

"It would be a misdeed to ignore the gravity of the burdens that these individuals face," Jerzylo said. "It is our responsibility to ensure their safety and health, and that of the greater Salem community."

Councilor Conrad Prosniewski said it was "about time" that the Council and residents learn about how the city "plans to address this issue" and that a collaborative plan is needed.

"More importantly the public gets to hear that we are all concerned for those less fortunate, especially (during winter storm season) their lives are in jeopardy based on their own decision to stay there," Prosniewski said. "We have to monitor that situation for their own safety. It's nothing where we can keep going in this direction because all we are doing is hurting them even further."

Jerzylo said that city efforts to convince those living in the encampments to voluntarily take them down and seek other municipal shelter services have been unsuccessful.

"It's all over the city," Jerzylo said. "I know there are some up in the Salem woods. There's some down at Fort Lee. It's all over the city. I'm sure everybody's had complaints about it — even the police department.

"I think it's a citywide issue that needs to be addressed."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)