BUTTE — This is a campfire pit at a homeless encampment near a walking trail and a city park. Some Butte officials say Butte needs and ordinance addressing urban camping, while others say the root causes of this problem are far more complex.
“My own daughter was here, Fourth of July, and we walked on that trail with the two granddaughters, and she was scared half to death,” said Sid DeBarathy at a Aug. 27th Council of Commissioner’s meeting.
Commissioner Trudy Healy showed pictures at a recent commission meeting of the litter found at a campsite along the walking trail near Father Sheehan Park near Blacktail Creek. Healy has been trying to convince the city to adopt an ban on urban camping or just enforce laws already in place.
“There are ordinance for littering, for camping, then why aren’t they enforced? Why are the taxpayers forced to keep cleaning up after them?” said Healy.
One resident speaking at the commissioner’s meeting said the city needs to address this issue.
“And this last summer, it got significantly worse with, you know, homeless people or vagrants, whatever you want to call it,” said DeBarathy.
WATCH: Butte officials weigh possible urban camping ordinance
One resident said new laws won’t solve the problem.
The issue in Butte today is homelessness and the lack of mental healthcare on the streets,
McCarthy, who is a deacon in the local Catholic community, said he’s worked with many unhoused people. One of the main problems is a lack of affordable housing in Butte.
“They don’t wish to be homeless. I’ve been working with these people for nine years, I have not yet run into somebody who says, ‘I prefer to live on the streets,’” said McCarthy.
The commission’s judiciary committee will continue to examine the request for an urban camping ordinance.
