The Maine Department of Transportation says it is planning to move between 30 and 40 tents that are part of a homeless encapment in Portland's Deering Oaks neighborhood sometime Thursday morning.
"This morning I was contacted by a client of ours saying that a state trooper had come by and told them they have a 24-hour notice to evict the encampment," Dani Laliberte of The Opportunity Alliance told News Center Maine.
MaineDOT confirmed the plans, but would not provide any further details.
Laliberte said the problem is that there isn't enough room at the city's shelters to accomodate everyone.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
"We have to understand these are our brothers and our sisters, our aunts, and our uncles, and it’s our job to contact our legislators, to contact mayors, contact the governor, and request there is a better solution," she said. "This is a humanitarian crisis. People are in harm's way. This is not going away."
The city is also planning to close down the homeless encampment along the Fore River Parkway sometime next week.
