BEAUMONT, Texas — The City of Beaumont is addressing homeless encampments after a Supreme Court ruling in June gave cities the green light to tackle the issue of homelessness on public and now, private properties.
There's a new plan to crack down on homeless encampments in Beaumont and non-profits are stepping in to help.
New federal and city laws allow tackling homelessness as part of a community effort.
"That's mainly lead by the community development department, code enforcement, and of variety resources," said Beaumont Police Chief Tim Ocnaschek. "Before the ordinance, we had no ability to address it on private property."
Homeless encampments are not allowed on public or private properties.
"Making owners of property aware of what the rules are, and making sure that people feel safe in their own residence or their own areas," said Chief Ocnaschek. "So, that if they have something pop up in a neighborhood, we have an ability to address it."
Non-profits, such as Some Other Place help people experiencing homelessness find jobs and get off the streets.
"They really don't have anywhere else to go, so that's where my job comes in at," said Some Other Place homeless case manager Tiffany Wise. "My job comes in to help them be able to not be in the heat, not to be out on the streets."
Chief Ocnaschek says keeping camps from coming back requires educating the property owners about laws, including the ability to post trespassing warnings.
Enforcing the homeless encampment bans come with many challenges.
"This is not a problem that we can arrest our way out of," said Chief Ocnaschek. "Making sure people are treated appropriately and we make sure we respect their rights."
Those experiencing homelessness will be provided with resources to help get back on their feet.
"We're really just trying to find everybody placements so that they won't have to be somewhere they're not supposed to be," said Wise.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.