Community Cleans up Trashed Homeless Camp

Community Members Cleanup Homeless Camp in Duluth

Sorry, this video is no longer available

“It’s kind of dangerous, there’s needles lying around, broken glass,” said Deb Holman with the CHUM Street Outreach Team. “It’s just disgusting you know.”

Tucked deep in the hills on Mesaba Avenue is where some have called home.

“I used to live over there that last brutal winter,” said Norman Hudson. “I lived up there in a teepee.”

Now that the snow has melted members of the CHUM Community Intervention Group feel it’s time to clean it all up.

“What goes around comes around,” said Hudson. “You gotta do right. “We’re trying to be part of this community.”

The group, consisting of local agencies, people who are currently and formerly homeless picked up, swept and hauled.

“We probably filled 30 garbage bags already,” said Holman.

“It’s good, it feels good it really does,” said Holman.

The much needed sprucing up is also helping to teach responsibility and change preconceived notions.

“Doing something like this people can get a different idea of their stereotypical impression of people that are homeless,” said Holman.

Unfortunately this homeless village is not the only one.

There are a number of them around town.

“I would say the situation for singles is pretty dire because there is no housing for single people,” said Holman.

Now that the temperatures are getting warmer more homeless camps are expected to start sprouting up.

“This time of year people are moving out,” said Holman. “They want to get out of I suppose confinements, they don’t like staying in shelter.”

Some may venture to the camp on Mesaba but the Community Intervention Group says they will continue the upkeep there and other homeless camps.

“One step at a time,” said Hudson.

Anyone who sees a homeless camp is urged to call CHUM’s outreach hotline at 218-461-8505.