Here’s a rare look inside one of Augusta’s homeless camps
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Tents and trash are piling up along parts of Augusta that you may every day and not even know it.
We went along for a tour of a homeless encampment alongside Washington Road near the 2nd and Charles store.
The piles of trash are a sore sight that’s nothing new for neighbors.
Marty Matheny lives in the Washington Road area. He was walking his dog in his neighborhood and happened to catch what he says was an abandoned homeless camp.
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Matheny says he’s cleaned up some of the encampments off Boy Scout Road in past years.
“You got to have a pickup stick and some gloves. You get tired of looking at it after a while. This trash has been here for years,” said Matheny.
The area Matheny took us to is in the woods beside 2nd and Charles. He said he was just cleaning it up two months ago and it’s already filled with trash again.
“I put a couple of pictures on Facebook and most people are like, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen any of that and I never knew it was this bad,’” said Matheny.
Most of us wouldn’t know the trash was there because of how deep it is in the woods.
“It’s sort of out of sight, out of mind in this area,” said Matheny. “If you sort of put it out there where people can see, it gets things done a little quicker.”
Matheny’s work is catching the eyes of those in charge.
Augusta Commission member Sean Frantom said: “It’s tough to see how you don’t realize how close those things are. It’s not the first encampment we’ve had in this community and in District 7. Just to see them and then to find out that the city didn’t know anything about it was disappointing. If you see something, then say something.”
City leaders say this is not a problem that happens during certain times of the year; it’s a year-round problem.
Matheny said: “As long as we can get it cleaned up, I’m OK with it. And now ... it might get done. So I’m OK.”
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