By John R. Roby

The sanctioned homeless encampment on Derrick Street in Huntsville, where a fire broke out Sept. 17, 2024. The city is temporarily relocating residents while it conducts a cleanup and ”reset” of the site.

Huntsville will soon be relocating up to 80 people living in a sanctioned homeless encampment where a fire broke out last month in an effort to “reset” conditions at the site.

The move, according to city officials and nonprofits that serve unsheltered people, has been in the works for several months due to deteriorating conditions and concerns over drug use and violence. The Sept. 17 fire accelerated those plans, said Scott Erwin, Huntsville’s director of Community Development.

“We realized this is not a safe condition for anyone to be in either temporarily or long-term,” Erwin said. “We’re stepping in and cleaning this, resetting this location for individuals who are living at the site so they can go somewhere else temporarily.”

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