LOWELL — A series of homeless encampment sweeps this month managed to accomplish what years of action plans, summits, roundtables and task forces couldn’t: bring the issue of the unhoused population to the forefront of public attention, discussion, policy and action.
At its Tuesday night meeting, several city councilors pushed back against a narrative that the city had acted in a cruel and unjust way in the treatment of the unhoused when it cleared several outdoor encampments that reportedly held between 40 to 60 people.
“We keep hearing this council’s disrespectful,” Councilor Corey Robinson said. “That this council is treating people like second-class citizens. There’s no disrespect going on here.”
Two weeks ago, the city started the removal of four homeless encampments around the city, part of the response to resident complaints about the trash-strewn eyesores, public health and safety concerns — at one encampment, 400 syringes were retrieved — as well as in response to the city’s winter weather protocol.
The actions set off a firestorm of protest, including a letter to the editor from Pepperell resident Sophie Dudek, who wrote that the sweeps failed to treat the unhoused population with “dignity and respect.”
She described how she and her family had built a relationship with some residents at a campsite.
“About a year ago, we first talked to the people living there to offer them food and blankets,” she wrote. “We soon became friends.”
But after the encampment sweeps, she said her family found their unhoused friends wandering the streets of Lowell, in shock and bereft, having lost their tent home and belongings, including winter clothes.
“Our friends’ necessary belongings had been taken away when their site was cleared out,” Dudek wrote. “…Most of his possessions and those of his wife were thrown away, including their blankets, winter clothing, and mattress. … His wife was so traumatized by the situation that she had to be hospitalized.”
Councilor Erik Gitschier asked Director of Homeless Initiatives Maura Fitzpatrick, who works under the Department of Health & Human Services, to explain the sweeps protocol, saying he didn’t know all the facts.
“I have updated our encampment protocol, so everything is in black and white now, and you can see exactly the steps we are going to be taking,” Fitzpatrick told the council.
“In the past, was it written down the way it is now? Maybe not,” she continued. “I’m trying to write it down step-by-step, so we know exactly what’s going to happen.”
Efforts to address the unhoused crisis have occupied the council’s agenda for many months on an issue, which, to some degree, affects virtually every city and town in the commonwealth. More than a dozen motions have been filed on the issue, a fact Councilor Vesna Nuon addressed.
“This council continues to look for ways to do better to help,” he said. “Not just for Lowell, but regionally to help the homeless populations.”
He suggested the city could make more information about its homeless initiatives available on the city website, and asked Fitzpatrick to make the encampment protocol available online.
“I think communication is the main thing,” Nuon said. “It sounds like it’s us vs. them. It’s not about that. We are trying everything we can — and with our partners — to help the homeless populations.”
City Manager Tom Golden closed out the discussion with a reflection on efforts to date and the path forward.
“There’s a lot of passion and frustration,” he said, speaking quietly. “I think we’re trying to attack this the right way. Everybody is recognizing that this issue cannot be handled by just one city or town. It’s a work in progress, but the city of Lowell is always welcoming to trying to change, and I truly believe that we will change things for the better.”
He thanked the council for their ideas and “directive to do this work,” and thanked the residents for reaching out to his office with questions and concerns about the city’s work on unhoused issues.
“We will be answering everybody’s questions,” he said in closing. “And we’ll put everything in black and white to make sure everybody understands it in every language.”
As part of their ongoing commitment to the unhoused crisis, the council passed four additional motions for action by the administration:
• Provide a report on the status of the 2019 City Manager’s Task Force On Homeless and Affordable Housing Action Plan and final recommendations.
• Have the director of homelessness initiatives revisit strategies outlined at the 2019 summit, which convened at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center with local businesses, nonprofits and community foundations; and assess the feasibility of reconvening and/or implementing these strategies, which were put on hold due to the COVID pandemic.
• Provide the council with a report detailing the delineation of federal and state funding that is received and goes towards housing in the city.
• Reach out to appropriate state agencies to determine any state assets available to be utilized for a regional approach to emergency shelter for the unhoused.
