Lehighton Borough continues to see a growing number of homeless people taking up residence within borough limits.

Last week, Lehighton Police Chief Troy Abelovsky told the Carbon County Homeless Task Force that the trend in the borough is that there is a growing population of unhoused individuals in the summertime.

“We have issues in the areas along the (Lehigh) river,” he said, noting that an area owned by Carbon County that has become known as “Tent City” is still active, even after the county and borough attempted to close that area.

Tent City is an area near the Lehigh River where several individuals have taken up residence in makeshift tents and structures.

Last year, the county attempted to clear out the people after a few deaths occurred at the site and a growing number of complaints came in.

Abelovsky said that police haven’t had a chance to really get down to the areas in question because of the call volume the comes in for police; however, the borough is working with the county commissioners on forming a plan to eliminate some of the structures on the county land.

“We had some beliefs that it was going to happen before the summer but it hasn’t happened yet,” Abelovsky said. “We’re hopeful that maybe before the fall there’s a possibility to be out there and work on those areas and eliminate some of the structures that don’t belong on either county property or borough.”

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said that he had heard some complaints about people being scared to use the Delaware and Lehigh Trailhead in Lehighton because homeless people are utilizing the area as their homes.

“It’s creating a problem,” Nothstein said, adding that last year the county put a dumpster at Tent City and was told volunteers would clean up the area. However, that never fully happened.

“It’s continuously been a heck of a mess,” he said. “Certainly is a health hazard. I don’t know what the answer is but it just cannot continue to go on.”

Nothstein said that the county will work with the borough to do whatever needs to be done to clean it up, remove structures that aren’t supposed to be there and make the trailhead welcoming for hikers and bikers.

“We have to address the situations that are there,” Abelovsky said, noting that most of the individuals living around the trailhead aren’t bothering people, however it does create a problem. “… I hear both sides of it and we’re trying to do the best that we can with the manpower that we have.”

Dane DeWire, Lehighton Borough manager, added that “It’s not just a health hazard, it’s a fire safety concern.”

He pointed to the wildfire in Mahoning and Jim Thorpe earlier this year in which approximately 600 acres of land burned.

“That 600 acres could have easily been 6,000,” DeWire said.

Nothstein added that it’s also what these people are burning that is creating a hazard for residents living close to the area and a potential problem for volunteer firefighters who would have to respond.

“It’s not just paper or wood,” he said.

Cathy Lamm, executive director of Family Promise of Carbon County and the chair of the task force, said that there is no easy solution to this, but she suggested forming an outreach committee to help get materials and resource cards to the people living in the area in question.

“At least it is something so they are aware of where to go for help,” she said.

Abelovsky said that would be a start. However, from what he has been seeing, he believes the majority of people living down there are there because they don’t want the help.

“We’ve been down there. We’ve been through there enough times to let them know how to contact people to be able to provide them with that information,” he said. “I think the majority of the people that are there are there by choice. I think it’s a conscious decision that they make. … It’s not that way for all of them, but I believe a large portion of them may be that way.”

He noted that his department partnered with the county sheriff’s office to provide information, and they never got feedback from the people, pointing out that the unhoused individuals all have phones.

“It’s not like they can’t call us when there’s a problem down there,” Abelovsky said. “We do get notified of things. They make phone calls … and we go down and address it.”

The task force said that the problem, while growing, is one that isn’t easily solved because for some, living out there is a choice, while others are on waiting lists because shelters are full. Another problem is also the uncertainty of the state budget, because funding sources are rapidly drying up.

Members agreed that more engagement is needed to provide resources.

“There are people and agencies out there that can help you, but you have to take a step to do something,” said Jamie Drake, executive director of Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug & Alcohol Commission.

The next Carbon County Homeless Task Force meeting will take place on Sept. 19 in the county meeting room at 44 Susquehanna St., Jim Thorpe.