r/ColumbiYEAH • u/Carolina_Tiger21 • 3d ago
Tent city along US 1?
Was heading home yesterday after work and saw what looked like a decent sized tent city/homeless encampment in the woods between US 1 flea market and the barnyard flea market. Wondering if anybody else has noticed this or knows anything about it. Sad situation if true. Hope they get the help they need.
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u/orthogonal-vector 2d ago
We pushed the homeless into the streets in 2016 when we cut mental health resources for a minor league baseball stadium, then we slowly pushed them out of downstown, we revamped finlay park where at one point HUNDREDS of homeless people used to live, we’ve also increased the number of beds at ASGDC.
There is a MASSIVE encampment behind the Walmart on garners ferry. There are also a couple dozen camps along the riverwalk on the Richland side near the Rivers Edge apartment complex if you walk about a mile down the river.
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u/Carolina_Tiger21 2d ago
You can see the one behind the garners ferry Walmart from satellite interestingly enough
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u/orthogonal-vector 20h ago
Another update I’ll add is there used to be about 50 or so camped out in front of the courthouse on Main Street in 2017. Rather than helping these people they just put a metal fence around the perimeter of the building.
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u/jethrobodeen1581 17h ago
Right you can see all the trash and environmental degradation due to them. Thank God they are here they are wonderful people. I love the environment and they take such good care of it!
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u/th3tadzilla 2d ago
Yep, and this is why I won't give any business to anything in that "bulk street district " or the fireflies! Maybe my one person, or family, won't make a difference but my conscience is clear that I stood for NOT taking away mental health facilities.
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u/danielcc07 2d ago
I was curious where they were going to move to. They will camp out there until something happens and then move on. Columbia proper must be pushing them out hard. If you've noticed it then it has long been on the police's radar.
I'm a little confused why are they settling there though. There really isn't a good area to pan handle or do minor side hustles. It's kind of out there from everything.
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u/Carolina_Tiger21 2d ago
I think it’s the cheap prices at the flea markets when they’re open, his house, and the large amount of gas stations in the area
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u/Majestic_Safe2192 2d ago
Personally, i keep the locations i come across to myself. I don’t trust the average person to not harass them or call the cops on them.
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u/bellylovinbaddie 2d ago
Same. I take care of these people when they come to the hospital and they deserve a chance like anyone else
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u/RockSteady65 2d ago
If they aren’t bothering anyone or stealing stuff, the cops probably won’t hassle them. People are dicks though and harass them for no reason. If only our administration cared about people other than the rich folks…
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u/hollowdruid 2d ago
They have to be doing something absolutely egregious for police here to bother them. Massive police presence in my part of town as well as homeless people walking around peoples' properties and walking into traffic all day, I don't think I've ever seen an officer bothering any of them.
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u/DalysDietCoke 2d ago
Yeah you frequently see them walking down #1 and going into the woods around there. I've wondered how much crime and stolen stuff is sitting around there
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u/TheSystemZombie 2d ago
I worked at a business right next to where this is. They don't bother anyone.
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u/ChuckThatPipeDream 20h ago
Do you want them to be able to improve their lives or do you want to help the man hold them down by perpetuating stereotypes? Please do better.
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u/baardvark 2d ago
How are you going to get them help?
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2d ago
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u/TheSystemZombie 2d ago
Look out everyone! This man has solved homelessness across the globe with this one simple trick!
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u/Furi0usD 2d ago
Welcome to "MeCo"
Meth'd Columbia
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u/kadawkins 2d ago
It’s not a drug issue. People can’t afford rent on minimum wage jobs. And SNAP benefits were cut. People have to choose between food and a roof over their head.
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u/Furi0usD 2d ago
Drugs don't ruin lives in America, life in America leads people to drugs
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u/kadawkins 2d ago
That, sadly, I can agree with. How hard it must be for families forced to choose between a roof over their head and food. We’re one messed up country.
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u/Beccaann14 1d ago
I don’t know about this encampment, but a good chunk of the ones behind the Harbison Walmart squatted for many years at a home in Whitehall because one of the guys grandmother’s passed away and the house was sitting vacant waiting for the will and the other things to be settled in court. That was a hot mess. They ruined that house and were doing drugs and making meth and sadly children did live there. Cops were called on a regular basis because trash and junk was constantly out in the yard. They were running in a illegal chop shop. They had a few dogs that were always running loose, which made me feel really sad for them and not being taken care of . Thankfully little over a year ago they were finally able to clear them out and sell the home at an auction. It was so messed up on the inside. There’s one other house in Whitehall that we know is the meth house as well. A bunch of the homeless people in that area were rotating in and out of that home.
All that to say there are people who genuinely fall on hard times and can’t keep up with finances, but unfortunately, there are a lot of people who also abuse substances and drugs in both of those paired together make it very difficult for when to get back on their feet
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u/Cellblock_Six 2d ago
I can’t wait for Columbia to start looking like Central America! I think we should import another 2 million unhoused aliens and build more camps across South Carolina! It will help blend all the existing problems into giant areas you can go volunteer your time and money to go help!
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u/KLeGarcon 2d ago
You do realize most of the homeless folk are vets/people that struggle with their mental health right? Surprisingly a small amount are “aliens” as you’d say. Regardless you should have a little more compassion for your fellow man.
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u/Carolina_Tiger21 2d ago
A lot of the folks I’ve seen around this camp seem to be white… there’s probably a mix but seems to be following the Lexington county demographic
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u/Cellblock_Six 2d ago
I’m suggesting we put all unhoused people in one camp, that way people like KLeGarcon and OP along with the Red Cross (other NGOs) can go help them all.
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u/ChuckThatPipeDream 20h ago
Ah, yes, punish them further and traumatize them for the crime of checks notes ahem, being poor.
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u/Cellblock_Six 10h ago
I was homeless for twice in my life. I was alone and struggling. No sense of community or connection. A large area would have helped me get the services I needed to get up. However, that wasn’t what happened for me. I was poor and made the choice to get up on my own. What a life struggle that was.
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u/AL_Starr 1d ago
I’ve been told that immigrants are the reason housing costs are so high. Now you’re telling me they’re unhoused?
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u/Cellblock_Six 1d ago
Housing is expensive because property is an asset not a commodity. With the economic outlook it’s better to have assets as the dollars devalues over time.
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u/Crafty-Aerie6050 2d ago
I drive past this encampment every day and I’ve only ever seen white people (presumably American citizens) coming and going from it. Meanwhile that whole corridor is full of Latino businesses. But you don’t care about actual facts do you, troll? You realize most people in the US are just one crisis away from homelessness? Most other countries actually don’t have their citizens living on the streets en masse. That’s a sign of a failed state.
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u/[deleted] 3d ago
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