Bangor – (BDN) city of Bangor is asking more than a dozen people living by the Penobscot River under the Interstate 395 bridge that spans Bangor and Brewer to leave by Dec. 1 and plans to issue trespass orders to those who do not.

The attempt to clear out the encampment is the latest chapter of an ongoing homelessness problem in the city that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated. In a city that serves as the regional hub for eastern Maine’s homeless population, the topic dominated the recent City Council election, with residents divided on how best to address the problem.

The city wants people to leave the encampment due to dangers that could arise with the arrival of winter, especially because the cleared-out area beyond the end of the Bangor waterfront footpath is challenging for emergency vehicles to reach.

Bangor police think the encampment has dwindled to about 12 to 15 people from 30 two weeks ago, Chief Mark Hathaway said, though encampment populations can fluctuate.

“Once snow and ice comes, we won’t be able to access that area if anyone needs help,” said Assistant City Manager Courtney O’Donnell, who noted that plowing the snow was unrealistic.

Many in the encampment also use the Penobscot River for bathing and to go to the bathroom, O’Donnell said. If someone needed assistance there, it would be difficult for emergency services to reach them, she said.

City staff initially spoke to the people there about relocating by Nov. 19, O’Donnell said, and they seemed ready to do so. But once that date came, many had refused to move. Realizing that they wouldn’t move voluntarily, city staff decided to seek the City Council’s input, which happened at the council’s Monday meeting.

“Unfortunately, many of the folks in that area do not want services,” O’Donnell said. “They are not interested in moving. They made that clear.”

The police department’s community relations officer, Elizabeth Ashe, traveled to the encampment on Wednesday morning with Torelin Jager, the city’s homeless outreach case worker. While Ashe issued warnings to everyone living there that they needed to be out by Dec. 1, Jager was on hand to connect them to services, including potential housing and substance use treatment.

The city’s efforts to clear the waterfront encampment come soon after city staff spent two days cleaning up a homeless encampment on Cleveland Street — located behind the Hope House homeless shelter — in anticipation of the winter months. However, the city has not asked those people to leave.