Future of Homeless Camp Unknown

After a number of behind the , state and local officials have begun communicating about what to do about the situation.

One of the main stumbling blocks to action in the past has been acknowledging which government entity is responsible for the camp the land stands on. The camps run along the east side of the , northeast of the crew boathouse behind the arena, and west of the Meldrim Thomson government office complex on Hazen Drive, located on the Heights off Loudon Road.

The city has always believed that it was the state’s property; the state has always believed it was the city’s responsibility.

The camp is one of many scattered around the city where homeless people, in some cases families, live, regardless of the season. Volunteers and city employees have already cleared away other camps, , where a new trail is being installed and the area underneath I-393 and near where a new facility for the is being constructed.

The changes created an unstable dynamic that some officials don’t want to see repeated. When the other camps were cleared, some of the younger homeless population moved over to the arena camp where older homeless people, including some veterans and others with substance abuse issues, have resided for a number of years.

The mix of the generations has caused some conflicts, misunderstandings, and crimes, “within the subculture of the community” as Concord Police Chief called it, which have led to some of the recent incidents at the camps, including the recent axe attack, murders, and .

Last week, Mike Connor, the head of purchasing and property for Administrative Services for the state of New Hampshire, said he would be meeting with the , other state officials, the , and city officials, to determine the jurisdictional issues and then, will work together to find a solution to the problem.

“We’re going to look at tax maps and (property lines) and will soon figure out what to do,” he said.

What to do after the jurisdictional issues are ironed out is another problem entirely.

State officials would like to clear the place out, not unlike what was done at when the area became a sexual meeting place a few years back. Both state and city officials acknowledge that there are extensive services available to the homeless including money for food, disability payments, and other funds, but that many of the individuals are not willing to take the steps to straighten out their lives.

Duval said he had some “specific, permanent plans” to solve the issue, one of which is getting those individuals who need access to services connected with those services.

“Basic needs can be met, for those that need it,” he said. “My concern is that there are citizens that are homeless in this community, for whatever reason, I’m not passing judgment, that are either incapable or do not want those services and then engage in behaviors that pose a safety risk to citizens and to each other.”

At the same time, officials acknowledge that there is a sense of communal living at the camp that can’t be replicated, with many of the campers sharing resources and enjoying meals together.

The fact that there have been a number of crimes at the camp worries a lot of folks, including Duval, who has been having “ongoing conversations” within the department, other organizations, and stakeholders in the community. He said that the assault case and other major crimes were “very unfortunate and very disturbing” and he worried about the safety of the general public and the homeless population living in the camps.

“We have to look it from the angle of how to we police Concord and how to we police this situation,” he said. “Conversations and strategies have been talked about and discussed before this incident. (The axe attack) incident has brought it to the forefront again.”

Duval said all involved needed “a deliberate strategy – not kneejerk” to address the problems. He said enforcement wasn’t the only answer and that people in the community interested in working together should get involved. Duval said that would include the people who live in the camps.

“This is an opportunity for us to have frank conversations and for us in the community to take responsibility to move forward,” he said. “We can’t arrest our way out of this social problem. We cannot push along this population in hopes that it will fix itself. It may fix behind the arena. But the issue will just move somewhere else.”