CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – As Charlottesville contemplates what to do with the unhoused people at the Free Bridge encampment as temperatures rise in the summer, Chief of Police Michael Kochis said his officers removing the homeless is “a last resort.”

Kochis said City Manager Sam Sanders and his staff have been meeting daily trying to find a solution.

“They’re working on this every single day,” Kochis told Cville Right Now. “They’re trying to find a location for them that is safe.”

There are about 80 people in the encampment. They have, at various times, found temporary shelter through The Haven and the Houston-based Clutch Consulting, which advises and works with localities and advocacy groups to address homelessness challenges.

Kochis said that since the encampment is on city property, his officers have the authority to go in and move the residents there, but he believes the city won’t pursue that option until others are exhausted and alternative place for the unhoused at Free Bridge is identified.

“I think the City Manger and City Council are really trying to take a thoughtful approach,” Kochis said. “Understanding that what’s happening there isn’t necessarily a good situation but also understanding that something like this doesn’t happen overnight.”

Kochis said the conditions at Free Bridge are unsanitary, with human waste around the campsite, and unsafe, with propane tanks being used, needles on the ground and fires. He said there was a death of a person at Free Bridge. No criminal activity was suspected in that case.

At the City Council’s May 13 work session on homelessness, Sanders said creating a temporary shelter at the Holiday Drive property the city purchased to build a low-barrier shelter on could be an option. A temporary facility there could address the concerns in the upcoming, hot summer months and could be operated by one of the city’s non-profit organizations who work with the unhoused, like PACEM.

“They’re really trying to think through this and be thoughtful about it, so we’ll see where it goes,” Kochis said.