It’s that time of year again.

Temperatures are falling and the leaves are gone.

As winter approaches, though, the issues surrounding those dealing with housing insecurity are coming to the forefront once more.

It’s not a problem that only happens in the winter, but the coming cold and snow helps us refocus on the situation.

Locally, this year could be troublesome, especially since many of the homeless encampments that were around last year have been eliminated.

What that did, essentially, was kick the can down the road. Despite the clearing of the “Tent City” on county-owned land along the Lehigh River near Lehighton, the number of unhoused people in the borough continues to exist. Encampments in Allentown and Bethlehem were dismantled, too, leaving affected people looking for other places to set up.

Carbon County, like many others across the state, is in the middle of rising homelessness driven by a lack of affordable housing, economic challenges and insufficient mental health resources.

Earlier this year, the state Senate took on the situation with Senate Bill 780, which sets rules on how communities deal with homeless encampments.

Sens. Jarrett Coleman (R-Bucks/Lehigh), Lisa Boscola, (D-Lehigh/Northampton) and Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton), were co-sponsors of the proposal, which calls for municipalities to label homeless encampments as public nuisances.

It only applies in cases where a property owner hasn’t authorized an encampment, especially one that lacks sufficient sanitation needs. It also frowns upon open fires, open air drug markets or drug use and accumulation of drug-related items.

If two of those conditions are met, the bill offers local governments a humane, commonsense process to manage the issues. There are no criminal sanctions in the bill.

Instead, the measure requires local governments make good-faith efforts to connect people affected with shelters, outreach or other services before it takes any other action.

The proposal doesn’t put any added costs on local government, but gives a property owner a chance to take action against a nuisance encampment if nobody else is doing so.

But Carbon County and its local government struggle to find funds and locations needed to house or support unhoused people, often leaving them caught between legal mandates and options that are somewhat limited.

What the area needs is more help — more beds, mental health support, more affordable housing and services that get people back on their feet. Right now, volunteers and nonprofits are doing amazing work, offering food, clothing and temporary shelter when possible.

But the number of people they’re serving is growing while available resources aren’t keeping pace. Local officials have discussed that the issue isn’t just about removing people from camps, but what comes next for those folks.

Certainly, residents want clean and safe neighborhoods. On the other hand, people living in tents or cars need to stop from being pushed around without hope.

And there’s more legislation in the works.

People from all over the state are pushing for what’s called a “Shelter First” approach. Two Pennsylvania lawmakers have sponsored companion bills in Harrisburg with a goal of treating homeless people as humans rather than as problems.

Sen. Nikil Saval, (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El (D-Lancaster) have introduced plans to take the criminal element out of homelessness.

The proposals would require municipalities to provide adequate indoor space for the unsheltered before any outdoor sleeping bans could be enforced.

The space would need to be available daily and free of charge. Also, it would need to accommodate disabilities, and accept pets and partners — including family members and other support people.

It’s still early in the process for both those proposals to become law. They’re both in committee status awaiting a hearing.

In the interim, it’s left to the county and its communities to redouble their commitment to focus on prevention as well as response. The unhoused are a communitywide problem, so it needs everyone working together.

All things considered, we’re all neighbors, whether or not there’s a roof over our heads.

Giving people a shot at a fresh start takes more than laws. It takes compassion, commitment and real investments to help our neighbors find a place to call home again.

After all, isn’t that what community is all about?

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com

Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 40 years’ experience in community journalism.

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.