Portsmouth police found themselves responding to a familiar and frustrating pattern this week, calls that weren’t just about loitering or disputes, but about the bigger problem playing out daily on the city’s streets: homelessness with nowhere safe to go.
Just after noon, officers were called to Domino’s Pizza after witnesses reported a man and woman lingering near the dumpster. Callers said they were worried a drug exchange might be happening and mentioned a backpack that had reportedly been left behind in the past and later picked up by someone else. When officers arrived, the woman was gone, but they did speak with the man, who said he was simply trying to stay dry and planned to head to the Counseling Center’s drop-in center for shelter.
A couple of hours later, police were called again—this time to the Gallia Street area—after a man reported his female friend had contacted him saying someone at her home wouldn’t leave. The caller struggled to give a clear address, saying only that the house was “up at the top of the hill.” Officers tracked down the location and made contact with the woman, who told them she was fine and said the call had been made by what she described as a “crazy ex” filing false reports.
What officers did find, however, was another serious issue.
After checking the properties, police contacted Portsmouth Code Enforcement, which determined that two nearby houses were unsafe and should be condemned. The woman was advised she would need to vacate and was given options for immediate help, including the city’s drop-in center or the local homeless shelter.
These calls didn’t end with arrests—but they did highlight the reality officers face every day: acting as first responders not just to crime, but to housing instability, mental health struggles, and people simply trying to survive bad weather with nowhere else to go.
As winter deepens, police, outreach workers, and city agencies continue to juggle limited resources while trying to keep people safe—often one dumpster call, welfare check, or condemned home at a time.
