Union Pacific clears out homeless encampment north of downtown Omaha

The last inhabitant of one of Omaha’s largest homeless encampments sat in his tent and tarp shelter Tuesday as the sound of heavy machinery rolled closer.

He refused to leave the campsite he’d shared with a handful of others, set at the bottom of a steep incline among snow-covered brush, even as Union Pacific began to clear its property Tuesday morning.

Homeless individuals have for years sheltered on the property, which spans multiple blocks along railroad tracks beyond a thicket of brush and trees east of 16th Street and south of Locust Street. Signs along the property’s perimeter mark the site as closed with a warning that trespassers could be prosecuted.

The population there fluctuates throughout the year. At its peak from March to October, more than 30 people were living at the site full time, according to a local advocacy group. On Monday afternoon, only three men remained.

Read more: https://omaha.com/news/local/union-pacific-clears-out-homeless-encampment-north-of-downtown-omaha/article_41d85614-6cb7-11ec-9f69-53d4f4a9d210.html