Bethlehem, Pa. — Norfolk Southern and two utility agencies have posted or plan to post no‑trespass notices along the Lehigh Canal, and city officials say they are coordinating daily outreach and seeking emergency funding as people living in encampments prepare to move.

City officials and service providers told the City Council on Sept. 9 that Norfolk Southern, UGI and PennDOT are the property owners asking for the areas to be posted. City outreach staff said the company set a deadline to clear at‑risk locations, and the city is informing people about that timeline while pursuing housing options.

The city’s Community Connections team and partner agencies said they have been doing outreach in the canal encampments for months and are meeting people where they are. "We're not trouncing through the woods seeking people out," a city outreach leader said, adding that officers go primarily to the areas Norfolk Southern, UGI and PennDOT identify as their property. The outreach team said 22 people have been connected to intensive case management so far.

Why it matters: the city and its partners say they need time and funding to move people into non‑congregate shelter and permanent housing before colder weather. Bethlehem Emergency Shelter (BES), the primary emergency shelter in the city, is pursuing capital funding to convert or expand facilities so it can operate year‑round; City staff said the shelter operator is planning a capital campaign and fundraising events while the city pursues grants.

What officials described

- Outreach and coordination: City staff said they meet daily with community providers, hold biweekly coordination calls, and run care events and counts at encampments. The city’s outreach team told council they know who is living in the encampments and whether each person is connected to services.

- Eviction notices and property owners: Residents and organizers reported that notices were posted by multiple owners; city staff said Norfolk Southern asked the city and community partners to accompany their police to identify the railroad's property lines because Norfolk Southern police cover a wide region and are less familiar with local parcels.

- Shelter and capital projects: City officials told council they have budgeted $2 million toward capital improvements for BES but estimate a $6 million total project cost. The city has submitted grant applications — including county local‑share requests and state redevelopment assistance capital program (RACP) requests — for BES capital work. City staff said BES is organizing a capital campaign and pursuing operational planning to support a transition to year‑round sheltering.

- Regional and temporary options: Council members and staff said conversations are ongoing with Lehigh Valley regional partners about "safe camping" or sanctioned tent/parking sites outside city limits. Staff cautioned that any site would require governance, liability, zoning and service planning and likely involve regional partners beyond Bethlehem.

Public comment and council concerns

Multiple residents and organizers urged the council to protect people who are camping along the canal, pressed for clearer public information about which parcels would be cleared and when, and asked the city to consider interim solutions such as sanctioned camping sites. One resident said it is "not clear what is actually happening with what parcels are being evicted and who is evicting people." City staff acknowledged conflicting reports had reached residents and said they were trying to clarify which owners were posting notices.

Council members pressed staff on two recurring concerns: whether the city is conducting sweeps and how the city will avoid displacing people without shelter alternatives. Staff repeatedly said the goal was to connect people to housing and services and that enforcement had focused on strictly delineated private‑owner parcels rather than broad, punitive sweeps of publicly‑owned parks.

Next steps and deadlines

City officials said they are continuing daily outreach, applying for multiple grants to fund shelter capital and operations, coordinating with providers such as New Bethany and Conference of Churches, and exploring regional safe‑camping options. City staff said the situation is resource intensive and that new arrivals — including people displaced from an Allentown encampment that is closing — are changing the count of people living along the canal.

The city encouraged anyone with information about a specific site or person to contact the community connections outreach team so services can be coordinated. City officials advised that decisions and timelines will depend in part on grant awards and available shelter capacity.