For the most part, those camps are concentrated around downtown.
If theyâre occupied, employees remove items like food and camping supplies and ask any lingering inhabitants to leave. At the same time, city crews are out every morning removing homeless people from spots in the downtown area, including places like the Pavilion at Founders Park and from under canopies at the Downtown Square.
The Pavilion at Founders in downtown Johnson City
With downtown Johnson City experiencing a resurgence in commercial activity, Public Works Director Phil Pindzola said the city does not want it to be convenient for homeless people to use services downtown, a desire that conflicts with the organizations in the downtown area that currently provide items like food and clothing to that vulnerable population.
Thereâs a new activity in downtown Johnson City thatâs sure to make participants of all ages go wild.
The âWildabout Walkaboutâ scavenger hunt is a permanent activity that features 15 bronze animal sculptures hidden throughout downtown for searchers to find. Clues can be picked up at local businesses or pulled up online, and visitors can get searching.
âWe realized that in downtown we have an incredible number of restaurants, we have some great breweries, weâre starting to build our retail capacity, but we wanted to look for things, especially that were outdoors, that we could offer for families,â said Dianna Cantler, Johnson City Development Authority interim executive director.