In a recent survey ,Massachusetts was ranked #5 in the U.S. for its rate of homelessness and it has become increasingly apparent that it is a problem here in Northampton as well. There was a large encampment under the South Street overpass, which was cleared. Another one has developed near Texas Road off the rail trail leading to Easthampton, ( just behind Smith College.) More recently, a third encampment has sprouted up on the Barrett Street marsh just off the rail trail connecting Florence to downtown Northampton. These encampments are unsanitary, dangerous due to intense weather conditions, and illegal.
People in these encampments whether deemed as homeless, houseless or unsheltered, are in dire need of help and solutions are hard to come by. Lack of adequate shelters, and affordable housing are a big part of the problem. But it is unlikely that local governments alone have the means to cope with the scale of the problem.
At some point, the state and federal governments will have to step in and craft a workable solution . But considering the current political and economic climate, the chance of that happening soon seems slim to non-existent.
Leonard Cohen
Northampton