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The tragic death of a man at an area hidden by the hurricane barrier, often used as an encampment by homeless people, reminds us that the issue of homelessness and all that goes with it still needs to be addressed.

40 year old Scott Gonzales had serious health issues yet was living in a tent on the side of the barrier that faces the water off Cove Road. A caller to my program says he discovered the encampment while boating in July and that there were as many as six people living in the small, grassy area at the time.  Mr. Gonzales apparently died when food he was eating became entangled with a feeding tube in his throat, part of his treatment for cancer.

This is not the only location in New Bedford where homeless individuals have sought refuge.  Encampments have been discovered in wooded areas along the railroad tracks and in other out of the way places. There are many reasons why people are homeless, economics, mental health and addiction feed into the problem.  Some, believe it or not simply prefer it that way.

When a person is homeless, there is generally a program or an organization that can help, provided there is a willingness on the part of the homeless person.  There can, however, be no condition by which we allow those without permanent housing to establish encampments at will.  The safety of the individual and the community at large must be considered.

The Mitchell Administration says it has not and will not allow these encampments to exist and will continue to take necessary steps to remove them when they are discovered.  Additional shelter space, better housing and or greater access to mental health care are all part of the solution but so is ensuring that homeless camps are not apart of the landscape now or in the future.

The problem of homelessness is not a new one but is one that needs the serious attention of lawmakers both on the state and federal levels.

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