POUGHKEEPSIE – Following dozens of complaints about a homeless encampment at 472 Main Street, the City of Poughkeepsie, under the leadership of Mayor Yvonne Flowers, it has made an effort to clean the parcel up. Following numerous drug overdoses at the property and a homicide, city workers went in and cleaned up the piles of trash, used syringes, and makeshift tents in July. Additional lighting was also focused on the property.
The people using the private property as a camp for illegal activities including drug use and prostitution have revived their camp-like setting; at a neighboring vacant parcel. There is one building between the 472 Main Street address and the six vacant parcels now being used for the same activities. The new encampment is directly across the street from the City of Poughkeepsie Public Safety Building at 505 Main Street.
Makeshift tents are once again displayed out in the open and a trail at the rear of the property leads to a secluded, wooded area between Main and Canon Streets. It is that area where rampant drug use takes place, along with other activities.
The police department has received numerous complaints from residents on Canon Street who are complaining about several new problems including trespassers cutting across their properties to enter and exit the wooded area.
A speaker at the recent meeting of the Dutchess County Legislature noted that the homeless problem will continue, despite the availability of emergency shelters and cited the “Main Street relocation” to prove her claims.
