From men passed out behind businesses to trash-strewn lots and late-night levee campers, Portsmouth police spent the day fielding call after call connected to the city’s growing homelessness and mental health crisis.
Behind Beltone Hearing
The first call came when a man was spotted lying against the back of Beltone Hearing on Gay Street. Officers checked his condition and found he wasn’t in medical distress. Instead of an ambulance, he got a no-trespass order and a polite escort as he gathered his things and left the property.
Naked in Tracy Park
At 1 p.m., dispatch lit up again—this time about two men arguing in Tracy Park. One of them, witnesses said, was completely naked in public.
By the time officers arrived, the man had pulled his clothes back on, but his belongings were scattered across the sidewalk. Police stood by while he picked them up and moved along.
Trash and Tensions on 11th Street
Later that night, a property owner driving through lots he owns on the 1800 & 1900 blocks of 11th Street spotted an older man who had cut through fencing to sneak onto the property. The man pedaled away on a bike, leaving behind three paper bags tied with twine.
When officers inspected the scene, the mysterious bags turned out to be nothing but trash. The property owner, however, says this isn’t a one-time issue—fences are being cut and trespassers keep sneaking onto the land.
Flashlights on the Levee
Finally, a Court Street resident reported homeless individuals regularly crossing the levee to sleep near homes. Officers walked the area and spotted flashlights glowing in the wooded section, but didn’t find anyone on the property at that time.
The Bigger Picture
These four calls aren’t isolated. They’re part of an ongoing pattern:
- Businesses constantly calling about people sleeping or loitering outside.
- Public parks doubling as campsites or conflict zones.
- Vacant properties turning into gathering spots, often littered with trash.
- Neighbors uneasy about people camping just beyond their backyards.
Without long-term housing options, crisis treatment, or safe shelter space, officers are stuck repeating the same loop: check, warn, move along, repeat.