Camden's 'Tent City' Gets Reprieve

CAMDEN, N.J. - Officials have backed off a plan to close Camden's self-governing homeless enclave known as Tent City.

Camden County officials had called for the residents to be out by Thursday. They said the community wedged in the woods between a highway off-ramp and train tracks is unsafe and unsanitary.

But county community development director Gino Lewis showed up to say the remaining 30 aren't being forcibly evicted. The homeless began the settlement about four years ago and it has had around 100 residents at times.

Lewis says his department and social service agencies would try to find homes for all the residents.

Tent City founder Lorenzo Banks says he hopes to find them all homes by July 1.

Last week, the  "mayor" of the encampment now known as "Transitional Park" told Fox 29 he's not going anywhere.

Banks was the one who actually threw out the April 15 date during a meeting with officials on how to help the homeless here get on their feet. It was meant to be a date just to give them a goal to work toward.

"You can't solve it overnight by shutting down Transitional Park. It ain't going to help nothing," Banks said last week. "There might not be a shut down because you can't send them in the streets. The crime population's going to go up."

At the time, an officials said that the tents' residents were being told regulary that they need to make other arrangements: "Daily we're giving them the countdown. We're letting know the 15th is coming; you must make arrangements."

But others said the date was too soon. And some simply don't want to leave, ever.

"They would have to come up with a plan, without a plan what's reasonable notice," said James Luddy.

"Right now this is my home," a woman said.