Officials say dozens of agencies are working to get unsheltered people off the streets but some business owners say the solutions seem to be making things worse.
We're hearing from a business owner concerned about the rising homeless population outside his office on Stokes Street.
Lonnie Law owns Air Degree. It's an HVAC company located right next to First Stop, which is a nonprofit dedicated to helping the unhoused.
Both are just a few blocks away from Â鶹´«Ã½'s largest homeless encampment known as "The Slab."
For years, Law says he has had problems with people damaging his property and scaring customers away. He says he has no issue with the good work that First Stop does to help the homeless, but he's frustrated that folks hang around past closing time.
"There are a lot of local businesses right there around that, and to have all that loitering going on, it's not a professional look," Law said. "It's not what anybody wants representing their business when you pull up."
The City of Â鶹´«Ã½'s spokesperson shared this statement in response to the large amount of unhoused people loitering outside First Stop:
Law says he's had dozens of break-ins over the years. He's worried that "The Slab" is overrun and is a dangerous place to live. He says he feels this may be adding to the chaos on Stokes Street.
"I've had people come and want to drop off a check in my mailbox and turned around and left and now it doesn't matter what time of day it is," Lonnie Law explained regarding large populations of unhoused people outside his business, "So, I haven't been able to lease my building out recently."
