On a warm September afternoon, the railside strip of Industrial Street is quiet, save for the rustling of wind through weeds and the rumble of trucks from the nearby paving business.
Along the street, a makeshift shanty village composed of a tent and a camper is surrounded by litter: cans, wrappers, and piled trays, some with partially eaten food scraps that attract droves of insects.
A woman pulls her vehicle over and places a fresh tray of sandwiches outside the tent — leftover lunches procured from a school cafeteria. It’s a practice she’s done for the past two years. A man stops his pickup and gets out, hoping to check in on his brother, who has been living here.
A vacant lot across the street once served as Rochester’s only sanctioned homeless encampment. In years past, this site known as Peace Village — on the northwest edge of downtown — boasted a collection of sheds, homes to the homeless who were served by nonprofit outreach workers.