Dayton homeless encampments: 5 key takeaways from our reporting

Reporter Cornelius Frolik visited a homeless encampment to ask people why they were there and not a shelter, and talked to people who advocate for the homeless about how to address the situation.

Here are five key takeaways from our reporting:

1. The news: On Aug. 6, employees with multiple city of Dayton departments, including police and public works, cleared a homeless encampment at McIntosh park, which is located at West Riverview and Orth avenues in northwest Dayton, across the river from downtown. People had been living in the park for months.

2. Zoom out: Montgomery County continues to see an increase in the number of individuals sleeping unsheltered. This year’s count saw 111 people sleeping outside of shelters and homes, a nearly 21% increase from the 2024 count.

- This was the highest tally of unsheltered individuals since at least 2015, possibly longer.

3. Tina’s view: Tina E., who some people call “Mama,” said she was one of about 10 people who lived at the encampment along Orth Avenue on a regular basis. Tina said homeless shelters are overcrowded and the facilities are a bad environment. She said residents in her encampment look out for each other, take shifts to guard their belongings and share food and supplies.

- “It’s a tight-knit family,” she said. “We’re family out here.”

4. Advocates’ view: Some advocates say they believe Dayton, and other cities, should suspend encampment sweeps or minimize the disruption and harm they cause by following national best practices.

- “We believe that removals of encampments could be handled much better,” said Heather Wilson, program services director with Miami Valley Housing Opportunities.

5. The city’s view: “We want to approach this complicated issue with the appropriate compassion, but we cannot ignore health and safety issues brought upon by encampments,” said Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein.

The full story: Go here for the full story, including thoughts from encampment residents and homelessness advocates on what could be done about the situation.