BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Aaron Hill said he has been experiencing homelessness for 12 years now.
“The majority of my homeless life have been outside on the west coast,” said Hill.
He was helping other people with nowhere to call home move out of an encampment on Norfolk Southern property.
The railroad sent out an advisory in August informing people they needed to move off of their property by December 15, citing safety concerns.
Hill said he appreciates the help he has received from the city with the process.
“It means a lot because I’ve been to a lot of nooks and crannies of the states and you don’t see too much of help,” said Hill.
Bethlehem Health Director Kristen Wenrich was at the encampment on Monday.
“As of Friday, we had about 10-12 individuals that were left. We’ve been out here since 8 in the morning and that number is slowly dwindling,” said Wenrich. “We’ve been spending the morning connecting people to housing, to resources, helping people safely store their belongings as we’ve been doing for the last several months,” said Wenrich.
Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering executive director Bob Rapp Jr. said some people who lived on Norfolk Southern Property have come to the shelter.
“We do still have a few beds available, so we are working with folks that still want to come in. We also utilize our organizations that come alongside of us,” said Rapp.
Hill said as for himself, he plans to take advantage of resources being offered in the area.
“I actually do have goals- dreams of I wanted to have one day a family, nice dog, maybe a bicycle, not a car too much insurance payments, you know. But I do think everybody deserves a shot at life, you know,” said Hill.