CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – As concerns mount about the safety of the Free Bridge encampment, Charlottesville city officials are considering relocating the unhoused people currently residing there to the property the city acquired for a low-barrier homeless shelter.
“I’m wrestling with the various challenges that this encampment pose, not only for the individuals who are camping there, but our public who is trying to engage with the trail and with the river itself,” City Manager Sam Sanders said Thursday.
During Wednesday night’s City Council work session on homeless issues, Sanders asked the group about the feasibility of opening a temporary, overnight shelter at 2000 Holiday Drive and indicated the Free Bridge encampment could not continue on in its current state, citing a public health risk and river pollution concerns…