Bucks County open shelters in extreme cold. Why do some choose to remain outside?

In the woods along Route 13 in Bristol Township, there’s trash and needles and filth. Except for traffic, on this day, there’s only the sound of rain on the muddy path that leads to a silent tent where Marie Holly Waters lived and died.

Last month, Waters, 44, became at least the fifth homeless person in the last 13 months to die on the streets of Bucks County. She was found in the tent on the muddy grounds of the now uninhabited camp.

While there advocates say more are coming in on the coldest nights, seeking shelter, many remain in the elements for a handful of reasons.

Two days before Marie Waters was found dead in her tent, the commnity shelter at Woodside Presbyterian Church in Lower Makefield had nearly 60 people inside on that frigid night.

“We haven’t had those numbers in years,” said Karen Mineo, managing consultant for Advocates for the AHTN.

Meals distributed most evenings by nonprofit Advocates for the Homeless and Those in Need in Lower Bucks used to number 30 to 35 a night, but are now at 45 to 50. But even with that demand, other don't come in.

Life in the woods in Bucks County

Umberto, a homeless man who has lived unsheltered in Bucks County for years, approached Waterse tent like it was landmine a few days after the death, stopped, then called, “Hello?” Silence.

“I only knew her a little bit. A friend a mine dated her,” said Umberto, 40, who grew up in Newark, but whose tumultuous life eventually led to Levittown.

There is no official reason yet given why Waters died, though the county coroner said there was no foul play or trauma.

Umberto suggested that she succumbed to the elements. If so, why didn’t she seek shelter after the county declared a Code Blue, the alert that opens emergency community shelters when extreme weather hits.

Death in the woods Body of woman found in Bristol Township. Police investigating how she died

“It’s rough out here. It’s not for everybody,” Umberto said. “Some people just want to be left alone, but then they are forgotten and then they just kind of disappear.”

It's senseless to people who’ve never experienced the ordeal of homelessness, living in makeshift camps. If there’s food, shelter, warmth and social services available, why stay outside when temps hit 26 degrees, the mark that triggers Code Blue.

Some Bucks County homeless choose to stay out in the cold, advocates say

Three reasons, said Karen Mineo, managing consultant for Advocates for the Homeless and Those in Need, in Levittown.

“They don’t want their stuff stolen,” she said.

Homeless people usually keep their possessions close, things like propane heaters, food, water and medications, among other items. They must leave all of it behind and unguarded to seek shelter on a Code Blue night.

“There’s no space (at the shelter) and some have had stuff stolen from them and they’re afraid it will be stolen again,” Mineo said.

Another reason is Bucks County’s aggressive crackdown on homeless camps, she said.

“When the county (or municipality) clears a camp, the homeless move deeper into the woods,” Mineo said. “That makes it a bit more difficult for them to get to our bus stops.”

Groups like Advocates for the Homeless pick up individuals at designated bus stops to take them to community shelters and meals.

Even the homeless who have cars can be reluctant to drive to the overnight shelters because they can’t waste gasoline. “They need that gas to stay warm in their car,” Mineo said

Hard drug use, a growing problem that is driving younger people to the street, is another factor.

“And they don’t want to stop using to come into Code Blue. That’s my sense. It’s not just alcohol and a little weed, it’s harder drugs,” she said.

For others, reasons for staying away from the Code Blue shelters could be bench warrants and a fear of being nabbed by police. Some homeless men, like Eric who lives in his vehicle in a Wawa parking lot in Lower Bucks, has a pet dragon lizard he won’t leave alone.

“He can’t control his body temperature, so he needs me there,” he said.

Umberto, who supports himself through scrapping, said he never seeks the Code Blue shelter either.

He has a large tent of brown plastic tarp in the woods near the Pennsylvania Turnpike. He has a stove, generator and other necessities for roughing it. After a year and half building it, he won’t chance having everything swiped or, worse, flattened by the county or local government.

"They know I'm here, but I don't bother anybody and they don't bother me," he said.

The homeless are regularly removed from camps that can pop up in any location where they can live largely unseen. Methods of removal vary, but if an encampment is on county property, they are given 48 hours to leave, said spokesman Jim O'Malley.

"The county doesn't allow encampments to grow," he said. "A single tent requires notification to (county) Housing, Human Services and Emergency Services."

Abandoned Bucks County camp yields very little

The rain had turned to mist as Umberto checked the sprawling, abandoned camp where Marie Waters lived. He found nothing of value.

“No one here anymore,” he said.

He got on his trike and rode toward rainy Route 13, away from the wooded squalor where people are forgotten and disappear.

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County homeless remain unsheltered despite Code Blue. Here's why