PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Municipalities would be forced to take action against unauthorized homeless encampments under legislation moving out of the Pennsylvania Senate.
The bill, sponsored by Northeast Philadelphia-based Republican state Sen. Joe Picozzi, would allow residents to petition their municipality about nuisance encampments.
“These encampments, whether on public or private property, create not just an eyesore but unsafe and unsanitary conditions that affect the everyday lives of our constituents,” he said. “Trash, drug paraphernalia, open flames, structural instability are not hypothetical concerns. These are daily realities for families living nearby who fear for their safety and children’s well-being and decline their neighborhoods.”
Under the bill, a resident can petition a municipality about a nuisance encampment. If it is on public property, the municipality must either give consent to the encampment or have it cleared within 30 days. If the encampment is on private property, the municipality must notify the owner. If it’s not dealt with, the property owner could be fined up to $250 a day.
The bill took a key first step back on June 10, advancing out of the Pennsylvania Senate Local Government Committee on a party-line vote. Now, it has passed out of the whole State Senate.
State Sen. Tim Kearney, a Delaware County-based Democrat, said he understands the motivation, but he believes the bill ignores the root causes of homelessness, like a lack of affordable housing and other services.
“I believe that we’ll merely push homeless people from lot to lot at the expense of municipalities, without giving them or the people in need any new solutions or resources to get people housed,” he said.
Central Pennsylvania Democratic state Sen. Patty Kim agreed, saying it puts an unfair burden on municipalities, without help from the state or county to remove the encampments and to pay for clean-up and potential legal fees.