Property damage caused by the homeless population is a major problem in most major cities. It is a problem that plagues business owners and property owners.
Chronic homelessness is a complex problem and is mainly the result of drug addiction. Most people who live on the streets do so as a choice because it provides them the easiest access to continue to live their lives as drug addicts. They commit crimes and rarely face consequences because in most cases, trying to find and prosecute them is a waste of time for business owners. Even if a homeless person is found, arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated, they will likely be back on the streets in a matter of days and can continue the same behavior as before.
As fellow business owners and owners of commercial properties in areas with homeless populations we have also been impacted by this issue and it is something we are passionate about. We fully understand that our solutions will not "solve" the problem of homelessness. That is not our goal or intent. Our goal is to drive the homeless population from a specific geographic location and move the homeless people causing property damage or loss of business to a different location. We have developed ways to make it uncomfortable for people to loiter, sleep, or commit crimes near our surveillance solutions. We do this using a variety of techniques including the options listed below.
1. Lights - We used flood lights, strobe lights, and movement tracking laser lights to deter people from coming into a predefined area
2. Audio - There are a variety of auditory based techniques that we deploy to deter people from staying in an area. These can include playing annoying sounds, playing operatic or classical music over and over, playing high pitched frequencies, or just playing audio warnings.
3. Smell - Our trailers can deploy noxious scents at specific intervals or on demand to deter activity in an area. These scents are highly effective at clearing people from an area. We can also deploy tear gas or pepper spray from a remote controlled apparatus to stop crimes in progress.
4. Live guards - most major metro areas have guard companies that are experienced with removing homeless people from properties. We work with these companies to provide onsite security.
In difficult cases, we have to use multiple methods over a period of several months to clean up an area and change the habits and patterns people involved with illegal activity in an area. We use a systematic approach to make an area an uncomfortable area to inhabit and then we consistently keep this pressure on an area until the problem resolves.
If your property is experiencing vandalism or other problems due to homeless people, contact us today to learn how we can help.