Bangor City Manager Debbie Laurie announced last Thursday that the city would clear the massive 73-person homeless encampment, located at the intersection of Texas Avenue and Cleveland St., by the end of 2023.

“The presence of known drug trafficking, activity that increases the risks of public health concerns, and an alarming increase in illegal activity particularly related to allegations of violence among encampment residents are all contributing factors to the City’s decision to see it closed,” said Laurie.

The encampment, colloquially known as Camp Hope, formed near the outset of the COVID pandemic and has remained since then, despite efforts to provide residents with shelter and housing opportunities.

Bangor officials will work with people currently living in the encampment to provide them with shelter and a pathway to permanent housing before the camp is cleared on December 31.

One homeless man from the encampment, Steve Sprague, spoke to News Center Maine, claiming, “It’s really a community here, a lot of self-policing here.”

Laurie’s letter suggested otherwise.

She pointed to the significant amount of drug abuse in the encampment and the numerous uncapped needles scattered about the camp, posing a health risk to residents, aid workers, and the public.

The camp poses a serious risk to the neighboring facilities, including the University of Maine at Augusta campus, healthcare offices, and even a daycare.

Laurie said that increasing violent crime at the camp has led to “spillover” incidents on neighboring properties.

Between the start of January and the end of September this year, the Bangor Police Department received 501 calls from or about the encampment.

Thirty of those calls have been about serious threats to a person’s well-being, including violent assaults, drug overdoses, and “sex offender activity.”

Laurie also accused the residents of refusing to work with the authorities to stop the growing violent crime in the camp.

Only 22 of the 73 people living in the camp regularly take advantage of outreach programs intended to help them find housing.

The city will provide ample services and warming centers to accommodate the encampment’s residents after the camp is cleared.