New Port Richey officials have put up a fence to keep homeless people from camping out under a bridge off U.S. 19.
It may not look like the best hang-out but many homeless people call it home. However, residents say they’re using drugs and disturbing others.
New Port Richey Police Chief Kim Bogart says his office gets four or five calls a month to the area and officers stop by 20 to 30 times.
"There’s a piece of property right adjacent to the bridge that the same folks would hang out there, they would defecate, urinate in public and be seen from the restaurant across the street,” he said.
City leaders spent $5,000 to put up the fence to limit access to the bridge, closing it off on both ends.
Police say the fence makes it harder for people to get in or get away from officers if they do get called out.