Unhoused People in Portsmouth Causes Concern

Police and advocates have seen an increase in the city’s homeless population, which has led to complaints from residents about people sleeping on park benches and in bank vestibules.

Resident Sarah Lynch emailed the City Council as a ‘concerned citizen regarding the influx of unhoused people sleeping in sleeping bags on our park benches, loitering by PMS (Portsmouth Middle School), the library, and Leary Field, and sleeping in vans adjacent to Leary Field and the Turf Field.’ ‘I walk every morning in Portsmouth and the increase in unhoused people sleeping on the sidewalk or in ATM machines is astonishing,’ she said. ‘It is especially concerning considering the proximity to our schools, library, playgrounds, and playing fields.’

Portsmouth Deputy Police Chief Michael Maloney stated ‘we have definitely seen an increase in the homeless population in Portsmouth. Maloney said he read the email Lynch sent and stated her observations were ‘not inaccurate, there are more homeless in Portsmouth recently than there have been in the past. I will say we have seen an increase in calls regarding that.’ That includes calls from businesses opening up in the morning to find ‘somebody sleeping in a vestibule,’ he said.