Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly identified the camp's location. It is located a few feet outside Springfield's city limits.
A homeless camp located just outside of Springfield city limits is being shut down by law enforcement, though it’s unclear how many people were living there or where they are now.
The camp is being shut down by the Greene County Sheriff's Office.
Had the camp been located just a few feet to the north within city limits, Springfield Police Department would have been involved and officers would have followed the city’s protocol for moving homeless camps, which was established in 2014.
According to the city’s protocol, officers give the campers 24 to 48 hours' notice to vacate. Officers also notify One Door, the central point of entry for coordinated intake of shelterless individuals, assessment and referrals for housing and shelter services. One Door then sends staff and advocates to the camp to offer services and help with moving.
Those steps weren't taken this time around. Sheriff Jim Arnott told KY3 earlier this week: “We don’t jump through any hoops.”
Clearing the camp
Arnott told KY3 the camp was a “dangerous situation” and “if the landowner requests the people not to be there and they are trespassing, then we simply remove them.”
The reporter went on to say that Arnott’s office is “actively” moving people off the property. But because Arnott cannot have deputies out there 24/7, the reporter said “homeless continue to trickle in.”
The camp was located in a small wooded area south of the Walmart Supercenter at Sunshine and West Bypass.
By the time the Daily Citizen arrived on Wednesday, there was only one man left — sleeping on a yoga mat, surrounded by cats and kittens.
The man said his name was Lloyd but asked that his last name not be used.
Lloyd, 60, said he’s lived in the woods there for about five years. When law enforcement showed up a few days ago, about five or six other people were also camping there.
Those people are gone now, Lloyd said. It’s just him and the felines.
He said he lost his wallet containing his bank card in all the debris. Once he finds it or can get a replacement card later this week, he’ll be able to put his stuff in storage and move on.
“Can’t get a break,” he said. “I don’t like asking for help. That’s my problem.”
Lloyd said he was struck by a vehicle a few years ago when he was riding his bike to work and is now disabled.
Encampment was located just outside city limits
The City of Springfield says this property is just outside city limits. The Sheriff’s Office has the authority to operate within city limits, as well as in the county.
According to the assessor's website, it is owned by Spfd Plaza LLC. Portions of the property to the north and west of the wooded area are currently being developed.
On Wednesday, bulldozers were moving dirt around nearby what was left of the encampment.
In recent weeks, several shopping carts filled with clothes and other items began appearing at the edge of the woods — very visible to motorists traveling south on West Bypass.
Though it appears almost everyone who was camping there is gone, all of the shopping carts, clothing, blankets and other debris remain.
It wasn’t until the KY3 story aired on Monday that advocates and service providers learned the homeless camp was being cleared.
Service provider wants to help in future
Michelle Garand, with One Door and Community Partnership of the Ozarks, said she reached out to Arnott this week and hopes to have a conversation with him about the possibility of implementing a homeless camp protocol with the county similar to the one with the city.
“I’m hoping to get a call back from him just to see how we may be able to partner,” Garand said on Tuesday, “and just for him to fully understand exactly what our continuum partners can do to help folks avoid jail time or ticketing when it may not be necessary.
Garand added that they've worked hard to develop its homeless camp protocol, and it typically works well within the city limits. Expanding that reach throughout the county, however, hasn't been coordinated yet.
Giving 24-48 hours' notice is beneficial
Garand said giving homeless people who are trespassing 24 to 48 hours' notice to vacate gives them a chance to pack up their belongings and hopefully get connected with resources.
“We need time to be able to assist folks, figure out what their situation is, see which resources they really need to be connected to,” Garand said. “They may have family. We hear all the time people came here for a job that didn’t work out. Or their vehicle died, and they got stuck here — something like that. There’s a lot of resources that we can try to pull together if we just have that time.
“Also, there’s just the logistics. People have all their things with them,” she said. “We certainly don’t want them to have to leave things behind in a rush. So we’re able to work with those advocate agencies to help and assist in collecting the things and moving the things or storing them, if that’s possible.”
Mental health providers part of protocol
When the city’s homeless camp protocol is implemented, Burrell Behavioral Health’s PATH team is among those service providers who usually visit the camp to offer services. (The PATH team is a grant-funded team that delivers outreach and services to individuals with serious mental illnesses and those with co-occurring substance use disorders who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness.)
Kelly Komodi, Burrell’s homeless services coordinator, explained in an email the team does on-site intakes to assess and/or add individuals to the PATH program.
“Based on eligibility, outreach workers make referrals to the housing liaisons, Burrell’s Rapid Access Unit and other mental health providers,” Komodi wrote. “PATH outreach workers often supply items to help the individuals in the camps move; for example, trash bags, Ziploc bags, ropes for tying up sleeping bags and tents, etc.”
“Much of the time, the camps and the individuals who reside within them are known to the PATH team,” she wrote. “The clearing of camp locations often creates a significant level of stress and fear for the individuals in the camps. It is very beneficial to have a known and trusted presence to provide assurance and support during a very difficult time.”
Pastor worried about where campers went
The Connecting Grounds is a church in north Springfield that helps the unsheltered community through street outreach, camp outreach and through its Outreach Center on Chestnut Expressway.
Connecting Grounds Pastor Christie Love said she is concerned about what happened to the people who were camping there because they’ve obviously left their belongings behind. Yet, no one has come to the Outreach Center saying their camp was cleared and they need clothes or supplies.
“I asked everybody in the Outreach Center (Tuesday), like, ‘Do you know whose camp that was?’” Love said. “Everybody’s like, ‘I have no idea.’
“It’s so much stuff to lose, and for no one to reach out about having that replaced just kind of makes me wonder if someone’s not in jail,” she said. “We haven’t heard anything, and no one knows anything.”
In speaking with the Daily Citizen on Wednesday, Love was relieved to learn of Lloyd's location. She said she's known Lloyd for a while and that he sometimes volunteers at the Outreach Center.
“We will try to kind of touch base and check on him,” Love said. “He’s an older gentleman who’s been on the streets for quite a long time in Springfield. He grew up here. He’s a long-time Springfield resident who has just really struggled with poverty and shelter instability.”
Sheriff doesn't have time to talk
The Hauxeda reached out to Arnott by phone on Tuesday and through several emails to Paige Rippee, the GCSO’s public information officer.
Arnott and Rippee both said that Arnott doesn’t have time to talk about this.
The Daily Citizen emailed a list of questions to Rippee and asked if anyone at the GCSO couldn’t answer them. Rippee replied that all questions would have to come in a formal Sunshine Request.
The Hauxeda stopped by the property Wednesday morning. In at least two locations, a notice was posted that says “personal belongings must be removed from this location by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Any items remaining on the above-referenced property after 10 a.m. Tuesday, September 6, 2022 will be disposed of.”
The notice was dated Aug. 29, 2022. The KY3 story does not mention when deputies cleared people from the property.
