Belongings once situated in a Norristown homeless encampment are compiled on March 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy Mark Boorse/Access Services)
People experiencing homelessness in Norristown will no longer be able to seek shelter within municipal parks after Norristown council imposed stricter guidelines with a code update.
The unanimous action taken during last week’s Norristown Municipal Council meeting pertains to the “parks and recreation areas” within the municipality’s geographic boundaries.
“The municipality owns, operates, and maintains public parks and recreation areas for the benefit of residents, visitors, and the general public, with the goal of preserving public spaces, ensuring safety, and maintaining park facilities for recreational use,” the ordinance states.
The ordinance cited a number of “public health and safety concerns” associated with the “unauthorized establishment of campsites” in public parks ranging from criminal to environmental. Vehicle parking “presents similar challenges,” per the ordinance, which include “degrading park aesthetics,” “creating security risks” and “obstructing park operations.”
The ordinance pertains to physical campsites and parking vehicles for shelter purposes, according to the legislation, which amended a portion of the municipal code to stipulate that “no person may establish, occupy or maintain a campsite, unless otherwise specifically authorized by this code, a formal declaration of the municipal administrator in emergency circumstances or by council in the form of an approved resolution.”
A “campsite” was defined as a “location upon municipal property where camping materials are placed,” according to the ordinance, which spanned a number of items, including awnings, huts, lean-tos, portable stoves, tarps, and tents.
Anyone violating the municipal ordinance will be subject to paying a fine between $25 and $300 and spending up to five days in jail.
“The [Norristown] Municipal Council recognizes the importance of balancing enforcement with compassionate approaches when addressing individuals experiencing homelessness, and as such, enforcement policies shall emphasize voluntary compliance, outreach to social services and mitigating measures for vulnerable individuals,” the ordinance states.
As rates of homelessness have increased in the county seat in recent years, Norristown officials have increased efforts to clear the areas, including passing legislation back in 2022 that closed parks and recreation areas from dusk to dawn, according to the ordinance.
Additionally, City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, a 2023 court case that reached the Supreme Court last year, focused on whether a municipality can ban people from sleeping or camping in public areas, such as sidewalks and parks. The court ruled that such bans are legal.
Sweeps have also taken place as sites situated beyond the Schuylkill River Trail were cleared in Norristown when an encampment on PECO-owned land was cleared in summer 2023.
Another encampment situated in a wooded area behind ball fields in Norristown was swept earlier this year. The encampment, previously located along the creek between the edge of the ball field and the creek, had been in existence for several years.
An encampment on a stretch of Pottstown-owned land just beyond the Schuylkill River Trail reached federal court last year after borough officials posted signs instructing people residing on the land they’d have to leave.
Legal advocates cited a lack of viable shelter alternatives in last year’s litigation. A judge eventually ruled the borough could move forward with sweeping the encampment, but could not pursue punitive actions to do so. The “College Drive” and long-standing “Tent City” encampments have since been vacated in Pottstown.
Montgomery County continues grappling with joint crises surrounding homelessness and a lack of affordable housing stock. The county has been without a major operational shelter for nearly three years since the closure of the Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center in Norristown. It served as the largest and main homeless shelter for single adults, but it was shuttered in June 2022 when the tract of land on which the building was situated was conveyed to the Municipality of Norristown for development.
Montgomery County previously signaled intentions to invest in infrastructure solutions after earmarking $10 million in the 2025-29 capital improvement program fund over the next five years for a homeless shelter.
The county has made three real estate acquisitions in recent months, executing leases for up to 120 beds at a Pottstown hotel, as well as two supportive short term housing facilities in Lansdale and Norristown that offer capacities of 20 beds and 50 beds, respectively.
“This is one piece for a broader plan that we have in Montgomery County to address affordable housing and homelessness,” Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairwoman Jamila Winder told MediaNews Group back in May.
