Local advocates for the homeless say they are starting an online fundraising campaign to try and buy a building to house people who previously were living underneath the Douglass-Anthony Bridge near South Avenue.
Sister Grace Miller says the goal of the campaign through the website "gofundme/Sanctuary Village" is to raise $60,000 to buy a house that would be staffed by the House of Mercy and serve, at least on a short term basis, as a residence for a number of homeless people living at what has been called "Sanctuary Village."
Longer term, they want to see the space serve as transitional housing for the homeless.
The press release from the House of Mercy refers to the City of Rochester using large machinery to destroy the homeless tent camp over the weekend. City Hall issued a statement saying that they cleaned up the site because of safety hazards including two large, open fires that caused one of the tents to burn up last week, and they also say they found piles of syringes and tents and other items covered in mud and human waste.
City officials urged homeless advocates to work with them to find a permanent solution.
