BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont homeowner is raising concerns about two homeless encampments in his historic district neighborhood.
Tents are popping up on two properties in the Oaks Historic District and he worries they are negatively impacting his property value.
John Berube has been in talks with the city for more than a year and has asked them to make a change.
However, because the property owners are allowing the camps to be there, there isn't much the city can do according to Chris Boone, Beaumont's Assistant City Manager for Community Services.
Berube lives just a few blocks from the two encampments and while he wants to help the people living in them, he is also concerned about the impact the camps have on the neighborhood.
He has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years
"We're just asking the city to help facilitate getting these people the services they need and also protecting our neighborhood," Berube says.
He says this isn't the first time tents have popped up in the neighborhood.
"Five years ago we had an encampment around the corner from us," he recalls, "some homeless people moved in there and the property owner ended up evicting them."
In the past year two more camps emerged just blocks away from his house.
"The issue we're having here is that the property owners are allowing these encampments", Berube says.
When we asked Boone if the city had spoken to the property owner about the situation he said they had but that it was a "short conversation."
"He's giving permission for them to move forward," Boone told 12News.
Permission from the property owner is what makes it hard for the city to make change.
Code violations only come into play when there is a permanent structure, according to Boone.
"You have to have running water, you have to have heat, you have to have sanitation," Boone explained, "So it opens up many codes and ordinances if you went to a structure. When you're just in a tent that's a different game."
Berube worries about the image the camps are bringing to his neighborhood.
"The incentive of living here is you can have a nice house and it's not that expensive and when you go in and start making improvements and this happens it lowers your property value," Berube says.
Both sides agree that homelessness is an issue in Beaumont that needs to be addressed.
On Tuesday the Beaumont City Council will host a special workshop at the Tyrrell Park Nature Center where one of the items discussed will be ways to help the homeless.
The meeting is open to the public.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.