The city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, has been dealing with the persistent problem of garbage-strewn encampments of unhoused people, and officials say it's getting worse.
Displaced from other cities in Massachusetts, more people without homes are coming to the city of Lawrence in search of encampments, which form under bridges, and local authorities are now asking for help at the state level.
The distribution of resources to serve unhoused people is not the same in surrounding communities, so many of them come to Lawrence looking for solutions, Mayor Brian Peña said.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
Dozens of unhoused people arrive in the city daily, according to Peña, who said, "The city of Lawrence is too small for the number of homeless people it has, there are cities next to it that don't have one."
Michelle Díaz, from the organization City Life/Vida Urbana, has witnessed how working people end up on the street -- not necessarily because of addiction, but because of job losses and increased rent.
She believes in promoting the social reintegration of unhoused people, as well as investing in shelters.
Officials in Lawrence have already approached the state delegation requesting a comprehensive response to the situation that includes all the cities in the region.
