Bus riders in downtown Harrisburg weren’t able to use the benches at the covered stop at Fourth and Market streets in recent weeks after several homeless people started living and sleeping there.
Older riders, and those with medical conditions, would like to sit as they wait for the bus but they have been unable as the benches were being used as beds or trash bins.
One rider, who has been riding the bus for 50 years, said the problem emerged in the past two weeks with garbage piling up and some people sleeping, using drugs or fighting in the bus shelter, preventing her from using it for its intended purpose as a bus shelter.
“They gotta do something about that bus stop. We can’t even really sit in there because they’re in there. It’s getting really bad,” said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous because she still rides the bus. “They just sit out there and do whatever they want to do. It’s just terrible.”
Brian Davis, executive director of the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority, acknowledged the situation has gotten out of hand at the downtown stop. His organization has taken action to improve conditions, he said.
Amtrak and Harrisburg police increased patrols of the area and move along people who are loitering at the stop, Davis said. He said the HRA also ensures leftover trash and debris is removed from stops daily.
The Capital Area Transit bus shelter at Fourth and Market streets in Harrisburg in front of the Harrisburg Transportation Center. May 25, 2021. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
“It’s a challenge but we do have the equipment and the manpower to do it. We want it to be safe and clean,” Davis said.
Even if the area is cleaned up, people still use the bus stop as a place to get high, the longtime bus rider said. Davis said anyone who witnesses illegal activity should call the police.
The HRA is working with the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness to respectfully relocate people without homes to more appropriate areas, he said.
“We’ve sent the message to anyone who was a regular there. Now we’ll just be consistent while checking that space and moving people along when we see them there,” Davis said. “We need to utilize our resources methodically and routinely.”
Davis said it is not uncommon for groups of homeless people to gather in one area of the city at times. The 4th and Market Street stop is just the latest, he said.
The woman who rides the bus every day said she thinks some homeless people could be attracted to the 4th and Market stop because of its proximity to a liquor store, pub and alley.
“We know there are some locations in town that do have camps, and once in awhile these will pop up at different locations around town,” Davis said. He said citizens who notice a camp cropping up in a part of the city can notify the police or the homelessness coalition.
Darrell Reinford is the executive director for Christian Churches United which works hand-in-hand with the Capital Area Coalition and other local organizations to help the city’s homeless population. He said a number of local outreach groups, including the CCU, plan to visit the bus stop Tuesday and offer shelter and mental health services to anyone who has been staying at the 4th and Market bus stop or surrounding area.
The pandemic and moratorium on evictions have made it difficult to find shelter for the homeless, Reinford said. Landlords’ financial losses, increased rent and fewer moving out of their apartments have made suitable homes scarce, according to Reinford. He said men’s shelters like the Bethesda Mission are still taking fewer people than they did before the pandemic.
“Obviously our ultimate goal is to get people into housing. There’s just a lot less housing. A lot of landlords are hurting, their rents are rising. For someone with a significant mental health disability likely their income is pretty limited,” Reinford said. “Also they often have really poor rental histories, right now it’s really hard to find any kind of housing that’s accepting people who have prior evictions or bad credit.”
Richard Farr, the executive director for the Capital Area Transit bus company, said he was unaware of the homelessness issue at the bus stop but had received some complaints about its dilapidated condition.
“It looks pretty bad,” Farr admitted.
Glass is broken, wood is deteriorated and trash can receptacles are outdated, according to Farr. He has already reached out to PennDOT to have an engineer work with CAT to make improvements. Farr hopes installing new trash cans will help contain garbage and debris.
Reinford also pointed out that some homeless people are on the street because they’ve declined to stay at a shelter. But given the lack of suitable solutions, it’s hard to say how many are choosing to be there. He said his organization and others are willing to connect or drive them to family and friends who live outside the area.
“Homelessness is obviously quite complex,” Reinford said. “One of the conceptions is because people are on the street, they assume they aren’t being offered help. That is certainly not the case.”
The woman who brought the issue to PennLive’s attention said she wants officials to find solutions to help the homeless as well as get the bus stop back in use for riders. She suggested using some of Harrisburg’s old vacant buildings as shelters for the homeless population.
“They got all these vacant buildings out here, they can fix them up for these homeless people. At least one or two of them. Give them their own area where they can sit and smoke and do whatever they want to do,” she said. “It’s something else downtown here.”
Reinford is encouraging anyone interested in helping the homeless community to donate clothing, time or money to local outreach organizations. More information on how to get involved can be found on the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness’ website.
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