Norfolk-Southern Railroad has razed a ‘tent city’ occupying land it owns that sits adjacent to the Montgomery County Community College campus. Heather Garcia, a spokesperson for the railroad, said Norfolk-Southern worked for months with several organizations, including Opportunity House and private funders, “to connect individuals with housing solutions to ensure they have a warm place to stay out of the elements this winter and to eliminate the safety risk posed by encampments located on rail property.” The same property was cleared of an encampment in January 2023, but it is the first time the railroad has razed the property — an apparent effort to discourage its reuse as a camping ground. Homelessness is on the rise across the nation, as well as in Montgomery County, driven by a combination of factors including inflation and sky-rocketing housing prices. In December, Montgomery County commissioners signed a lease to open a new short-term, supportive housing facility shelter in Lansdale, two years after the county’s largest homeless shelter closed.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 1/18/2025 & The Reporter; 12/18/2024