Louisville won't stop clearing homeless camps despite dangerous heatwave

Bailey Loosemore, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated ·3 min read
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A no camping sign is posted in Louisville's Portland neighborhood, near a site where homeless camps are regularly set up.
A no camping sign is posted in Louisville's Portland neighborhood, near a site where homeless camps are regularly set up.

Louisville employees are continuing to clear homeless camps as scheduled, despite dangerously high temperatures that are expected to push the area's heat indexes into triple digits this week.

The move has caused concerns for housing advocates who say the city's shelter system is already overburdened, and homeless people who are moved from their campsites often have nowhere to go.

But city officials say the clearings typically take place in the mornings before temperatures reach "White Flag" conditions − when the heat index is above 95 degrees. And White Flag days allow more people living outside to head indoors, as shelters expand their capacity to take in more people than they typically could.

"The good news is because it is White Flag, these folks have options," said Deputy Mayor Nicole George, who oversees Louisville's Office of Resilience and Community Services, which operates the Homeless Services Division. "If they want to take the opportunity when shelters say 'we're not going to turn anybody away,' this would be a good opportunity for that."

Salvation Army Louisville spokesperson Kelly Hutchinson said the shelter on Brook Street can take in up to 50 people during the day when White Flag is in effect. And it opens a separate space for people to sleep at night, in addition to its normal sleeping area.

"We are having people come in" because of the heat, Hutchinson said, adding that each time a camp is cleared, the shelter also sees an uptick in new clients. "Some people will choose to go indoors. Some will choose to create another encampment. Getting indoors is the first step in getting closer to being connected to services."

On Tuesday, the ACLU of Kentucky sent a letter to George, urging the city to stop the clearings during the ongoing heatwave.

"Unhoused people are already at a higher risk of serious illness, hospitalization or even death, even without the dangerously high temperatures Louisville is currently experiencing," the nonprofit said in a press release.

The ACLU requested that Louisville:

  • And distribute summer care packages containing water, reusable bottles, nonperishable foods, hygiene products, sunscreen and sun coverage to camp residents.

  • Cancel any plans to clear encampments until the White Flag period has passed;

  • Establish additional shelters and cooling centers, accessible to unhoused people during both day and night;

  • Communicate to encampment residents that the camps will not be cleared;

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In a statement in response to the requests, Kevin Trager, press secretary for Mayor Craig Greenberg, said: "While our homeless services team is committed to outreach and support, we must also focus on limiting the growth of encampments, especially in areas around schools, neighborhoods and other family gathering places, in the interest of public safety. Public spaces should be safe and accessible for everyone.”

George and Jon Pilbean, the city's homeless encampment coordinator, were onsite at a clearing in the Portland neighborhood Wednesday morning, where all but one person had already moved from the area.

Remnants of a homeless camp in Louisville's Portland neighborhood before it was cleared Aug. 23, 2023.
Remnants of a homeless camp in Louisville's Portland neighborhood before it was cleared Aug. 23, 2023.

Pilbean said city employees monitor the heat index through clearings and would stop if temperatures reached White Flag conditions.

City officials had posted notice of Wednesday's clearing a week in advance, according to a messaging system operated by the Coalition for the Homeless.

Two clearings also took place Friday downtown and near Beechmont. And two more are planned in Old Louisville and Smoketown next week.

On Wednesday, George said city officials do not know what temperatures will be when clearing notices are issued, and they must also consider safety risks associated with not clearing the camps.

"There's a whole array of context that goes into what happens when we're trying to balance the safety needs of a site that has already been identified as a risk and safety issue," she said.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville won't stop clearing homeless camps despite dangerous heat