MACON, Ga. — It can sometimes feel like as Macon-Bibb County leaders remove one homeless camp, another replaces it.
We told you about a new tent camp that's popped up at Macon’s Historic Rose Hill Cemetery.
That comes after the county cleaned up camps off of Spring Street and on the Ocmulgee River.
13WMAZ’s Jessica Cha tells us why advocates say it's a problem without an easy solution.
Sgt. Melissa White with the Salvation Army says that in her experience, only 10% of folks at homeless encampments will actually accept the help that they offer.
“Mental health needs to be addressed,” White says.
She explains that their organization regularly works with the county and United Way to help disperse camps.
“We go down and, again, we offer them some food or something to break the ice, and try to develop a rapport and trust with them. Those who want help will come, and those who don't will try to find somewhere else to go,” White says.
However, she says many homeless people will not accept help.
Rose Hill preservationist Joey Fernandez says he confronted one of the homeless individuals asking if they enjoyed living in the camp. The man offscreen says, “I mean, I’m homeless, but it's because I want to, not because I have to, you know?”
White says many of the homeless suffer from mental illness, and living in communal space with rules is too much. Others are afraid to seek help because of substance abuse.
"Many of them have had some kind of assault and they're afraid to be with others. They feel safer on their own. There's just many things that prohibit them from feeling successful,” she says.
White says a lot of homelessness could be solved with more mental health resources, "Like group homes, shelters, kinds of things where they have medication, and people who can help them achieve what they don't think they can do on their own,” she explains.
Major Brad Wolfe with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office says there's not much they can do.
"There's some on Sardis Church Road, some on Highway 247. I mean, they're everywhere,” Wolfe says. "It's not against the law to be homeless. The only thing that we can do is when they go to private property or areas they can't be we can move them along.”
Wolfe says those camps may be uncomfortable to see, but you'll be safe if you steer clear.
"There is some crime there. A lot of times, it's not as crime-ridden as people think as people think it is. A lot of the times, it's fairly quiet and we don't get calls to those homeless encampments.”
Wolfe says the county is working to disperse the group in Rose Hill soon, but he wouldn't be surprised if it popped up elsewhere.
Sgt. Melissa White says for those who do seek help, the Salvation Army offers programs for veterans, families and individuals.
She says one of the programs allows folks to stay for three months, and they get help finding jobs or a more stable home.
The Salvation Army says they can always use money or food as they are helping a lot more people this year. To donate, you can visit their website at https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/macon/.