The City of Owensboro is continuing its efforts to clean and maintain the bank of Ohio River around the English Park boat ramp in partnership with Specialty Food Groups and the Army Reserve. People who may have been staying in a homeless encampment in that area have been offered shelter and other services through St. Benedict’s.
The City previously worked on the area between the Owensboro Convention Center and the English Park grounds, but now City Manager Nate Pagan said they are working on the area where the debris used to be placed.
Pagan said they will be cleaning on an as-needed basis.
“It’s probably been years since it’s been done so I don’t know that it’s necessarily a recurring thing but it will be on an as-needed basis,” Pagan said.
Pagan acknowledged that there are homeless people that live in the area the City is clearing. So, the City is utilizing St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter to supply shelter and transportation should a person need those services.
Harry Pedigo, Executive Director of St. Benedict’s, said that their team went to the site last Thursday and Friday to let those who were homeless know of the cleaning was about to begin and that they would be displaced.
Pedigo said St. Benedict’s has received a few people from the area using their services since then. Pedigo said that when they checked Monday morning, the area near English Park where people had been staying had been emptied.
He said that if St. Benedict’s isn’t able to provide services, they will recommend another shelter that should be able to.
“We’ve just been trying to try to help those individuals to obtain shelter and resources that they need,” Pedigo said.
The organization has stopped by that area consistently for the past two years to showcase their services, Pedigo said. However, with this being short notice, Pedigo said they are waiving all policies for them to find shelter.
“We’ve waived all of our policies for any of them that have been staying on the river,” Pedigo said. “If they need a place to go, they got it.”
