Residents living in the Parsons section of Wilkes-Barre say that while homeless encampments in the surrounding wooded areas are nothing new, the situation has recently escalated out of hand. Neighbors reporting on the conditions state that large piles of garbage now riddle the forest floor, including discarded needles and other drug paraphernalia. In some areas, barbed wire has been strung up to block the entrances to specific camps. While some of the campsites are well-kept and even decorated by the individuals who call them home, others have become overwhelmed with waste.
People living near the woods note that these encampments have been popping up for years, but the accumulation of trash, the odor, and recurring neighborhood disruptions have grown steadily worse. The complex logistics of addressing the camps has complicated cleanup efforts; although the wooded land sits entirely within Wilkes-Barre city limits, the specific property plots are owned by a mix of the state and the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority, requiring multi-agency coordination to resolve.
