The Ithaca ‘Jungle’ has been cleaned up.
That’s thanks in part to the hard work of local volunteers, who showed up Thursday morning to clean the area.
The ‘Jungle’ as its known is an unsanctioned homeless camp located around Southwest Park. Locals say over the last few years the encampment has grown significantly.
Those who showed up to help said they will return if it gets bad. Some of those who came out to help felt confident that it would since local and regional leaders aren’t doing enough to address the root causes of homelessness.
A TIDES camp was proposed earlier in 2022. That would’ve meant more stable housing for those in the growing homeless community centered in Ithaca’s Jungle.
However, it did not go through. Residents are also skeptical of that plan.
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