In Manchester, some evidence of the changes spurred by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing cities to ban sleeping and camping in public places can already be seen and felt.
On Tuesday evening, Victory Park, previously lined with tents from homeless encampments, was now lined with canopies and tables where representatives from local businesses, nonprofits, and community groups handed out pamphlets and freebies to people attending the police department’s annual National Night Out.
Before the event, police had enforced Manchester’s new ordinance banning camping on city property and fining violators up to $250, and cleared out an encampment in the park. Since the ordinance passed in early July, police say they have also been referring people without permanent homes to city shelters and other resources.
Many Manchester residents at the event, like Rev. Jason Jalbert, said they were pleased with this more forceful approach.
“Manchester needed a lot of attention, and homelessness certainly has had a negative impact on the city, especially the downtown area,” Jalbert said. “So, the efforts that have been made recently by the mayor and aldermen and by the Manchester Police has really helped in starting to help those who need help.”
Jalbert, a priest at St. Joseph Cathedral just down the street from Victory Park, said dealing with the encampments had become “a hassle and nuisance.” He said he found the hypodermic needles and beer cans left on the church’s property “disrespectful and troubling,” and worried it would deter families from coming to the cathedral.
Renee Griffin often passes through Elm Street, the business corridor just a few blocks from Victory Park. While she has never had a negative interaction with people in the encampments, like Jalbert, she is not fond of the mess some of them can create.
“Cleanliness wise, I think that's really the big issue,” she said. “They just need to clean up after themselves and make sure that they keep Manchester safe, just like everybody else is trying to do.”
Despite the ordinance taking effect, Griffin says she hasn’t noticed many changes to the city’s public spaces yet.
Victory Park’s unhoused population may also turn to the Manchester City Library for respite. The library offers air conditioning in the hot summer months, and bathroom facilities. Priscilla Letendre, a regular library patron, says she’s noticed fewer homeless people at the library since the ordinance's implementation, which she said makes her feel safer, but hopes the city can provide more places for them to live.
“[The city] is giving them places to stay for sure, and that's where they should be,” she said. “But I'm sure they don't want to stay there all day. They have to be outside. They can't just be inside all the time.”
As patrols have increased at many city parks, some people without permanent shelter in Manchester, like Stephen Barry, told NHPR they’re trying to stay out of the police’s way to avoid being fined.
Barry has lived at New Horizons Shelter in Manchester for just over a year. Barry was laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Barry says the shelter has provided him with a stable home while he awaits financial support from a relative’s estate.
Barry notes that while there are more beds available in the summer, many residents struggle to stay at the shelter because of the limited storage space. He says that’s why many people without permanent housing end up camping in parks.
“You get one little locker and that's fine for me for the summer months,” he said. “But for many other people who've been there, obviously a while, that locker is full.”
Lorin Shelton says Manchester’s new ordinance has only further stigmatized people like her, who do not have permanent housing and struggle with addiction.
“I never thought I would be in this boat, but it happened,” said Shelton, who wishes Manchester officials would consider that as they create these policies.
“It's hard because everybody looks down on you, but once they know, like, what your situation is, they're more apt to be able to help you and get to know you and not frown upon you.”
Shelton said she is currently living in a tent outside of downtown Manchester while she works on her addiction recovery and looks for permanent housing. She hopes in the meantime, the mayor will change his mind on the ordinance.
Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said the department is focused on enforcing ordinances related to public behavior, such as open air drinking and drug use.
According to the city, despite increased patrols, police only issued three citations for camping in the first two weeks since the ordinance took effect and 89 citations related to behavior.
Aldenberg says in cases where people do set up tents in city parks, police instruct them to dismantle and clean up their belongings before having to resort to ticketing.
“It's your property. Take it down. Clean it up accordingly,” he said. “But you got to remember, a lot of times a lot of things are left behind is trash and debris. That requires resources, city resources, that come to pick up trash that people leave behind. We're not throwing your tent in the trash, right? If you abandon it and leave it behind, well, okay, then it's gonna end up in the trash can, because I can't have the parks full of litter.”
Aldenberg emphasizes that ordinance violations are not criminal offenses and typically result in warnings rather than arrests unless other criminal behavior is involved.
He says that he and other police officials extend their efforts beyond enforcement and refer people without housing to mental health services and shelters options, including those at 39 Beech Street and 199 Manchester Street.
When Manchester resident Sarah Galloway heard about the ordinance to ban camping in public places, she thought it was not a good solution. Galloway, who rents a room in a home, says the problem is a lack of affordable housing in Manchester. She says some of her friends who don’t have permanent homes have struggled since the ordinance passed last month, because they worry laying down to relax in a public space could get them cited.
“Because you push so much and then you back them into a corner. Where are they going to go? Where are they going to sleep? They need somewhere safe to sleep. Just because they're outside, they're still human beings that need a roof over their head,” Galloway said. “So, I think they should let them sleep on and just choose and pick and choose your battles.”
