“We built a community out here. We love each other and we all take care of each other,” says Chris, who lives in the South Philly homeless encampment called Camp Chloe, which police have once again been trying to displace for a new development.
“We never had a voice. We always just got kicked out and moved around,” Chris says, urging Mayor Cherelle Parker to designate legal spaces for camps like Chloe, and to provide basic hygiene and other support.
“We just want a place to go,” Chris says.
Advocates urged Mayor Parker to come to the camp, meet the residents, and listen to their need for housing rather than simply displacing them.
“When the city does a sweep, they are breaking up a chosen family,” says Kelsey Leon from the Community Action Relief Project.
For more on Camp Chloe, watch our YouTube channel.
Our reporters sit through hours of city council meetings, dig through piles of documents, and ask tough questions other media overlook. Because we’re committed to addressing Philadelphia’s poverty crisis — and challenging those who sustain it. If you think this work is important too, please support our journalism.
We’re counting on readers like you.

