Are there used needles on the ground ? Have you by any chance called the Public Safety department to report this ? God knows when anyone will read this and respond. You wouldn't want someone to get a needle puncture by accident.

If there are needles this has to be called into public safety 203 946-6316 before a child gets injured. For safety concerns you can post to warn others but they must be called in. When you post something you do not know when the city will see your post.

All debris, bedding & clothes still there. Graffiti added.

It has been a week and the city has yet to respond.. Has anyone who has witness this called it in and to whom? The alder and the police district manager must be called before someone is injured. When you post something you do not know when the city will see your post or if they ever will.

Just reported this both to LCI and non emergency police line again. Pics are from today. Used condoms and drug works on stairs.

LCI has jurisdiction on private property only. Since this is in the park, the Parks Department would have to reply.

Thanks @LCI could you help facilitate parks Dept response?

You need to contact the police with regards to monitoring this location to prevent congregating there at night or day for that matter.

I have contacted police, alder, Friends of Edgewood Park and more. Parks Dept won't clean up the area until folks have abandoned it. Homeless Services won't move people until they have a place for them to go. Both are fair enough responses - but Parks Dept could mow and clean up the path so kids walking to soccer have a safer route to the fields. And police could monitor the space. It's not safe for a typical neighborhood clean-up because of used condoms, drug works, etc.

I do not think it is lawful to people living in the park, homeless or not. The police should be monitoring the park and moving them along from sleeping there, using drugs, having sex, and/or littering.
It looks like you are being given the run around by all these organizations. Perhaps you need to call the local television station and newspapers to come down and photograph this scene.
Give them the names of the people that you have contacted and have them answer to the public as to why nothing is being done. Tell the media to contact the mayor and make her aware of the problem and see if action is taken. People need to be accountable for their actions or lack thereof..

Havenrite
Thank you for all that you do. I wonder if there is any other surrounding town that would let unsafe conditions like this to continue, this makes you want to move out of New Haven. This is a city park, we pay taxes and deserve better. Maybe if this appears on the nightly local news or newspaper something will be done.
As far as Homeless Services not moving people out until they have a place to go this is not all right because of the unsafe conditions these people are causing.
Alder please respond.

I just had my comment blocked by rejections. I have no idea what that means. I was basically saying what you just said about contacting the media and challenging all those organizations that you have contacted with your problem and gotten short shrift. Obviously the powers that be do not like having to held to account for lack of inaction.

I meant to say" for lack of action".

This doesn't make me want to move out of New Haven, just figure out a way to make the parks usable. I understand that there are numerous challenges to do that both effectively and respectfully. I'm clear that it's a complex issue - AND - it wouldn't be that hard to mow the grass to make the pathway wider, have someone clean the stairs regularly and encourage Homeless Outreach Services to visit often. I have received a response from Homeless Outreach and asked the staff there to help facilitate a response from Parks as well.

Parks department is working with NH PD and the homeless outreach service. It’s quite a process. Trust us we want this mess gone ASAP. Cleanup is challenging for staff due to the needles and other paraphernalia. I’ll get back to you all with an update soon. Park rangers will be notified for path/trail cleanup

Has the city or your department looked into some sort of hazardous materials company that could be contracted for situations involving needle and drug paraphernalia disposal without exposing your personnel ? This is a public safety issue. God forbid some child is injured when they come across needles or syringes . That is why constant police monitoring of public places like this is paramount.

Angeliak
I agree with you this is a public safety issue and the city should be doing more. Also the local television and newspapers should become involved. Maybe if the city becomes an embarrassment to the rest of the state something will be done.

Alder please respond to this issue.

Deputy Park Maintenance
This is safety issue where children play, this has to be cleaned up tomorrow before a child is harmed. If this can't be done close down the park . Also this was first reported on September 18, why did it take you so long to respond? I really don't think you want television or the newspaper to do a report on this.

Thanks, @Deputy Parks Maintenance. Appreciate the update and the complexity of the situation. Keep us posted, please.

Thanks for all your comments. As you can all tell this is an extremely complicated issue. While it is a violation of park rules and ordinances to be in the park after dark, erecting structures and littering, its not something that we can arrest our way out of and the threat of consequences does not move people along.

While City Officials understand and appreciate the concern about the proximity to the path used to access the soccer fields from Edgewood Ave the encampment is under the bridge and the opposite direction of the fields which can also be accessed from the rear drive of 720 Edgewood Ave and Chapel Street. Staff have been through twice already to work on some of the debris and can not yet complete the process. The city has been working with homeless outreach workers and PD as the best results are to connect individuals with services. If this step is not performed it only moves the issue to the next space. Unfortunately with 2,200 acres and only 23 caretakers to deal with we need to work collaboratively with neighbors, LCI, Homeless Services and police as none of us can be everywhere and none can do it alone.

Thanks so much, Rebecca. Appreciate the response, clarity, coordination of response as well as the investment of time and energy.

A child being harmed will speed up the process of correcting this situation. Lets hope it does not come to that. Has anyone contacted the Register or Channel 8 news because I think this too will speed up the process?

It sounds like Parks, Homeless Outreach and PD are on it. Makes sense to me to give them a chance to do their jobs.

Navenite
Because it is a safety issue maybe they should close the park until it is corrected.

XYZ, you want to close an entire park because one person experiencing homelessness is sleeping under a bridge? If we all thought that way we'd have to shut down all 50 States.

Andy O
Read the previous posts about needles, other drug paraphernalia ,and used condoms . Also if you read the previous posts you will see it is not just one person.

Andy O
Knowing these items are in the park would you feel comfortable with children playing there?

XYZ, I have, and have been following this close. I spend a lot of time in Edgewood- got married there, go jogging there, been chased there, had to knuckle up there, called the cops on taggers there (which lead to a successful arrest, too!). That side bridge is generally where populations aren't hanging out, not to say that it's right, or that I want to see it there, but Channel 8 or the Register aren't going to solve homelessness and addiction. Becky Bombero isn't going to solve homelessness or addiction. There's somewhere between 600 and 800 homeless adults in NHV at any given time. Add to that addiction, and the situation worsens. While you may disapprove of this, sensationalizing someone's disease(s) isn't going to solve anything. I appreciate your desire for the ship to be righted, empty threats of media exposure are going to solve.... what? You get a well-dressed reporter under a bridge in their make-up getting recorded in front of a hot spot. Will that scare off the offending person/s? Will that put more money into Columbus House's account to pay more staff to do more outreach? Will it properly fund Medicaid to actually provide ongoing behavioral health support for those in need?

Andy O

You posted the following
XYZ, you want to close an entire park because one person experiencing homelessness is sleeping under a bridge? If we all thought that way we'd have to shut down all 50 States". You then posted,"XYZ, I have, and have been following this close. If this is correct how could you post,"XYZ, you want to close an entire park because one person experiencing homelessness is sleeping under a bridge? If we all thought that way we'd have to shut down all 50 States".

Andy O
This a park not place for people to live and do illegal activities.
The items that are left behind are harmful to others.
If the media gets involved this will speed things up to correct this problem because they will be embarrassed .
As far as empty threats of media exposure, I will be contacting them soon.

The outreach workers have engaged. We were able to collect and remove debris, trash, needles and illegal dumping from this site. We will continue to monitor this site for activity.

Could you elaborate on how the outreach workers have engaged with these individuals ? Have they been given some sort of shelter so they will not return to another public space to start the whole process over again. Will the police be monitoring the park closely to deter others from moving in and continuing the same activities ?

Thanks so much, @Deputy, Parks Maintenance. Appreciate the work and updates. I'm assuming mowing will take place shortly too. Thanks again.

Parks maintenance, homeless services outreach workers and Friends of EP have helped to resolve this issue. Thank you.

Thanks for fixing this request!