An initiative geared to provide homeless people a choice to get help has advanced in Lehighton.

On a 5-0 vote, borough council on Monday agreed to adopt a camping ordinance and remove criminal sanctions and add civil sanctions.

Council members Autumn Abelovsky and John Kreitz were absent.

In March, council agreed to have borough solicitor Jim Nanovic draft a camping ordinance.

Abelovsky said at that time she believed going forward with a public camping ordinance would be “prudent” for the borough.

Councilman Ryan Saunders said at that time he agreed that it’s important for the borough to take the proper steps.

After that meeting, Abelovsky said her hope is that the encampment ordinance would serve several objectives.

“The purpose of an encampment ordinance is to prevent harm to the health and safety of the public and to promote the public health, safety and general welfare by keeping public streets, sidewalks, parking lots, parks and other public property readily accessible to the public, and to prevent use of public property for camping purposes or storage of personal property which interferes with the rights of others to use the areas for the purposes for which they were intended,” Abelovsky said. “This type of ordinance is intended to give homeless individuals a choice to get assistance so that they no longer have to live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions outdoors.

“In turn, enforcement of these types of ordinances cannot be enforced at any time there is no space or beds available in reasonably accessible homeless shelters, which ultimately puts pressure on the county or municipality to provide such services.”

That action came shortly after a group of homeless people who lived in the encampment along the Lehigh River in Lehighton were told to vacate the premises.

Carbon County Commissioners’ Chairman Michael Sofranko said at that time that the sheriff’s department was directed by commissioners to go down by Tent City and do some documentation for what may be offered to those who live there. Sofranko said they were given information where they could go for help.

Sofranko said at that time that the number of homeless people residing in Tent City had dropped from nearly three dozen a few months ago to three as of the week of the April 25 commissioners’ meeting.

Tent City is located between Lehighton and Weissport near the Lehigh River on land owned by Carbon County and has been a source of complaints from residents regarding campers burning.

Sofranko said that most of the people have either found a residence, moved in with family or friends, found help through the shelters or have simply moved on to other encampments on private land where they are allowed to stay by the landowner.

Sofranko stressed that people should not venture into the area unless authorized due to safety concerns.

Earlier in April, the entrance was gated and chained off.