While Portsmouth residents living next to out-of-control bamboo can breathe a sigh of relief, those hoping for real action on the city’s spiraling homeless crisis are still waiting — and waiting — for help that never seems to arrive.
📅 On Monday, July 28, Portsmouth City Council will consider a new ordinance aimed at controlling the growth of invasive bamboo, spurred by a single citizen complaint that a neighbor’s bamboo was encroaching on her father’s yard.
The proposed ordinance borrows language from a similar measure in Worthington, Ohio. Under the plan:
- Bamboo owners must contain their bamboo to their own property
- Failure to do so results in a $100 per day fine after a 10-day warning
- City staff would have the authority to enforce removal
📜 The issue was brought before council just two weeks ago, and now it’s already up for discussion at the City Manager’s Conference Agenda. That’s fast.
😔 Meanwhile… Where’s the Homeless Task Force?
In stark contrast, the proposed Homeless Task Force, floated by council last year, has seen no public movement. The task force was first mentioned when council was debating a ban on homeless encampments — a controversial measure that was ultimately shelved in favor of “finding solutions.” But months later, no progress has been made.
🆘 This, despite:
- 9 large homeless camps identified within city limits
- Dozens more small camps scattered throughout neighborhoods
- Daily calls to police about mentally ill individuals, public disturbances, and property damage
- Multiple repeat arrests of the same individuals who are sick, unsheltered, and untreated
🆚 Fast-Tracked vs. Forgotten
To be clear — the bamboo issue matters to the resident who filed the complaint. Property encroachment is frustrating.
But the speed with which it’s being addressed — compared to the silence on homelessness — has some residents shaking their heads.
“They can draft a law about bamboo in two weeks, but we can’t get a single update on the homeless task force?” one resident asked on social media. “Our parks are full of people in crisis and our streets are littered with their suffering.”
🚨 A Daily, Growing Crisis
At this point, Portsmouth’s homeless crisis is not just visible — it’s unignorable. Tracy Park, York Park, and downtown alleys have become de facto shelters. Businesses are being impacted. Police are overburdened. And those suffering the most are being cycled through jails, ERs, and sidewalks with no end in sight.
The latest headlines tell the story:
- Mentally ill woman arrested twice in one day… again
- Homeless man found passed out in cemetery
- Woman overdoses on sidewalk, refuses rehab
- Couple caught sleeping on levee blanket, told to move along
🤔 So, What Now?
Portsmouth leaders clearly can act quickly when they want to. Monday’s meeting will prove that.
But until the homeless task force actually materializes and begins tackling root causes — from mental health care to emergency shelter access — the city’s real crisis will continue… with no ordinance, no plan, and no urgency in sight.
💬 Want your voice heard?
Public comments at City Council meetings are open to all. Maybe it’s time someone asked:
“If we can take on bamboo in two weeks, why can’t we take on homelessness in two years?”
Publisher’s Note:
Since the City Council will not answer questions during their public meetings, we sent them in writing. We asked about the “Status of the Homeless Task Force. Who are the members, what is their initial scope and goals, have they been given a budget or are they simply an advisory board? If they are an advisory board, who makes decisions on their recommendations?” We are still patiently waiting for an open and earnest answer.