'Small camps are popping up everywhere': Concerns rise over encampment in Gulch скачать в хорошем качестве

'Small camps are popping up everywhere': Concerns rise over encampment in Gulch

A growing homeless encampment near the Church Street Bridge, close to the Gulch greenway and the Nashville Yards development, is raising concerns from neighbors about safety, sanitation and how big the camp could become. Community advocate Barry Doupnik said the encampment has expanded in recent weeks and is located dangerously close to train tracks. “We’ve seen in multiple other locations where people, debris, propane tanks end up near or on the tracks,” Doupnik said. Doupnik, who organizes cleanups across Nashville, shared photos with FOX 17 from Thursday morning showing cleanup efforts at the site. But when FOX 17 returned later Thursday, tents and trash were still visible near the greenway. Doupnik said the location is especially concerning because of how close it is to public trails used by walkers and runners. “It’s extremely concerning, women who walk on the trail and just anyone in general,” Doupnik said, adding that people using the trail may not know who is nearby or whether they are a threat. He said the issue isn’t only about what people can see on the ground, but also the public health risks and cost to clean up large encampments over time. “I know the city’s spent probably over $1.5 or $2 million on just removal of all this trash that’s been building up,” Doupnik said. Metro Councilmember Jacob Kupin said the city has seen more scattered encampments pop up since the closure of Old Tent City, which once housed a large number of people experiencing homelessness in one area. “Especially since Old Tent City is closed, people have kind of scattered,” Kupin said. “Instead of one central location, we’re starting to see them pop up in lots of little places.” Kupin said Nashville needs a long-term strategy to keep smaller camps from growing and to avoid simply moving people from one location to another. “There’s over 3,000, maybe even 4,000 people in Nashville experiencing homelessness,” Kupin said. https://fox17.com/features/high-cost-... _______________ Follow! Like! Share! Subscribe! WZTV on Facebook:   / foxnashville   WZTV on X:   / foxnashville   https://fox17.com Email us: news@fox17.com Call the Newsroom: 615.369.1717 Fox 17 provides local news, weather, sports, traffic and entertainment for Nashville and nearby towns and communities in Middle Tennessee, including Forest Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, Fairview, Dickson, Clarksville, White House, Greenbrier, Springfield, Gallatin, Hartsville, Lebanon, Mt Juliet, Smyrna, College Grove, Thompson’s Station, Centerville, Murfreesboro, Columbia, Lewisburg, Shelbyville, Manchester, McMinnville, Smithville, Sparta, Cookeville, Hohenwald, Waverly, Camden, Paris, Lafayette, Portland, and in Kentucky, Russelville, Bowling Green, Franklin, Alvaton, Scottsville, Hopkinsville, Glasgow. #WZTV #fox17news #foxnashville #nashville #tennessee #tn #middletn #localnews #breakingnews #trending