SANFORD, Maine — "I have no idea where any of them are," Journey Ramsey said as she walked around what remained of an encampment at Heritage Crossing in Sanford.
Journey is the co-owner of It Takes a Village 207, a nonprofit organization that provides community outreach in Sanford. She was looking for several people experiencing homelessness who she has helped and now considers friends.
"I worry about them on a daily basis," she said.
Her concern was especially high Tuesday, one day after city officials cleared residents out of the encampment.
"Almost any place they can go is city property, which is where they can't go," Journey said.
Journey said It takes a Village 207 has been feeding about 75 people per week for about a year at that location before the city began taking the upper hand.
"The conditions there were absolutely deplorable," Sanford City Manager Steven Buck said. "They were out of control."
Buck said the site was a public health crisis with dangerous living conditions. The city did not have access to the site when the encampment first started to form because it was previously owned by a private company, but they gained control of the site this past April and started the process to permanently close it.
Buck said Sanford has been working over the past two years to address homelessness in the city. They have developed a task force specifically for situations like this, with the aim of helping unhoused people.
"Our first thing we offer anyone experiencing homelessness is some kind of service," Sanford Police Deputy Chief Eric Small said.
Small, who is part of that task force, said he believes the recent numbers are proof the design is working.
"In the last week and a half, 21 people have gone to permanent housing," Buck said.
Fewer than a dozen people were living at the encampment when it was officially cleared Monday, which is a big decrease from the usual average, city officials said.
Of the 10 people, four accepted services for help. The remaining six individuals who refused support were forced to leave the area.
"That's the difficult part for me, personally, is when people refuse services," Buck said.
Journey said people in this situation who refuse help have their reasons, but she said that doesn't mean they should be forced out.
"I'm hurt for them because it was their home," she said.
Journey said she hopes to see more efforts from the city to care specifically for those people who aren't ready or don't want to take the city's offer for housing or shelter.
However, Small said pushing them out doesn't mean they are giving up on those individuals.
"We take the approach that maybe that today isn't the day, but the next time will be," he added.
Journey said she isn't giving up either and is holding out for those remaining six individuals, hoping to see them again soon.
"For one, we're going to have things to help them keep cool because it's going to be really hot tomorrow, and for two, maybe there's some options they don't know about," she added.
Sanford is collaborating with It Takes a Village 207 to provide food, cooling, and housing resources for anyone who is interested from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, at the Sanford Housing Authority.