City plans to clear Louisville homeless camp in Wilder Park area

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville plans to clear another homeless camp.

The encampment is located at South Second Street and West Florence Avenue. City officials said there are health and safety concerns, and on Thursday morning, posted a 21-day notice.

During the next three weeks, outreach workers will continue to try and connect people in the camp with shelters and other services.

The city said on the 22nd day, those in the camp must vacate.

"There are beds available," said Nina Moseley, chief operating officer at Wayside Christian Mission. "Please, come get a bed before there is a waiting period for a bed."

Due to the pandemic, the city had been cleaning homeless camps and not clearing them for several months, allowing people to shelter in place.

The city's Office of Resilience and Community Services said risk assessments at homeless camps began again in late July. Since then, several camps have been assessed and two have been given notices that the area will be cleared.

The first camp to get a notice since assessments began again was a camp off Southern Parkway and I-264. That notice was posted Aug. 5 and was considered a 24-hour posting.

"This is considered a dangerous area because it's close to the actual expressway," Tameka Laird, director of Louisville's Office of Resilience and Community Services previously told WDRB News. "We have executed a 24-hour notice but we are giving them 72 hours to vacate."

According to Louisville Fire, there was a fire at the site around 9 p.m. the day the notice was posted at the camp off Southern Parkway. A spokesperson said firefighters put out the flames and there was no one around, and there will not be an investigation. As scheduled a few days later, what remained of the camp was cleared by Public Works.

Those living at the homeless encampment at South 2nd Street and West Florence Avenue will have 21 days to vacate, according to city officials. The Office of Resilience and Community Services said the difference in notices for the two camps has to do with assessment levels determined.

According to the office, there are 3 assessment levels. The camp off Southern Parkway was deemed a level 2, while the camp off South 2nd Street received a less severe level 3 determination because the camp was located further from the road.

Moseley said after the clearing of the first camp site off Southern Parkway, people came to Wayside for shelter.

"We had five folks that came in. Three men and two women," she said. "I'm not sure they were from that particular camp but it was all at once so we kind of think that was the factor that caused the influx."

Moseley is hopeful people at the camp off South 2nd Street will utilize the services at the shelter now that a 21-day notice has been posted.

"We want them to come in, we want them to feel welcome. We want to do anything and everything we can to help them on their journey," said Moseley.

She said the ultimate goal is to get people into permanent housing.

According to the city, the property the camp is located on is Kentucky Transportation Cabinet property and is being cleared per the city's agreement with the state.

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