YORK, Pa. -- The growing homeless problem in York’s Cherry Lane has some folks in the community taking notice.
"We had a gentleman who was intoxicated and he came over and he was undressing a woman there and I had to go over and stop it," said Jeff Lau, owner of Mudhool Brewing Company in York.
Lau, who runs Mudhook Brewing Company, located on the corner of cherry lane court, says some nights there are up to fifteen homeless people laying on park benches.
"Late afternoon is when they start to arrive and it’s like a family gathering it’s like they come from all these different directions," added Lau.
According to Lau, the homeless also try to use his bathrooms, something he says can be an issue.
"I discourage that because i need it for my paying customers," said Lau.
William Warner walks through Cherry Lane Court every day to get home and he says he’s had enough.
"I see people in here drinking booze, smoking that nasty weed, you can smell that and laying all over the place, they put two chairs together and lay that way," William Warner, York resident.
"Drug use is prohibited in parks and there is a concentrated effort from the police department and the parks department to not only enforce that but to do more for regular cleaning, trash pick ups that sort of thing," said Philip Givens, Chief of Staff in York City.
York City officials, do admit that there has been an increase in the homeless population.
"We are working with those non-profits to make sure that if there is a population of folks that aren’t being taken care of or not being fed, or don’t have access to showers of bed and don’t know that, that we are helping to communicate that to them," added Given.
"It's like all the other issues in York and in Pennsylvania and the United States, hard to put your finger on the solution to the problem," said Lau.
Cherry Lane Court is closed from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Officials say if you see anyone in the parks after hours, make sure you call the police at: (717) 846-1234.
