Businesses leaving Brockton, citing safety concerns from rising homelessness

Homelessness climbs more than 50% in Massachusetts as businesses leave Brockton for safety concerns 02:04

BROCKTON – A business owner in Brockton, Massachusetts is moving his tech support company out of the city, saying he’s fed up with homelessness and the associated issues plaguing downtown.

Concerned about safety

For more than 20 years, Howard Wright ran Wright Technology Group in downtown Brockton but the office sits empty now. Wright said he was concerned about safety in the area. He said he’s hoping to move back if Brockton makes major changes.

“It’s become more aggressive, more violent,” said Wright. “It’s a situation where my team members don’t want to come in. We had individuals taking drugs outside our office, we come in the morning, they used to be asleep in the vestibule and make a mess and no one really felt comfortable.”

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Brockton has skyrocketed recently and local leaders said they’re taking safety measures.

“We, as an organization, we have invested dollars in security cameras, we invested in a gate,” said Mary Waldron, the president of the Downtown Brockton Association.

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