Residents urge compassion on homelessness and demand answers after Prospect Avenue towing during snow ban

Several residents used the public-comment periods at the Feb. 9 meeting to press the council on quality-of-life and enforcement issues.

Scott McCall, who said he conducts homeless outreach for a local nonprofit, told the council he knows roughly 50 West Haven residents who are homeless and urged the city to expand existing programs (public showers, warming center, city social worker) while changing policy and departmental coordination to avoid criminalization and displacement. "We cannot absolve ourselves of responsibility..." McCall said, calling for compassion as a guiding principle.

Christian McCarthy, a Prospect Avenue resident of more than 20 years, described an emergency parking ban posted for snow removal that resulted in early-morning towing. McCarthy said officers and dispatch seemed unaware of the posted signage and that some elderly neighbors were towed; he asked the council to reverse tickets and reimburse residents he said were towed while following the rules.

Other speakers praised city employees and asked for practical services: Frederick Brown asked for printed budget packages at the upcoming public budget hearing, and Kristen Jacome asked whether City Hall tracks ICE activity after seeing posts on social media. Council members and the mayor acknowledged the concerns and said they would follow up with relevant departments; the mayor said she is investigating towing incidents and encouraged residents to submit appeal paperwork individually while staff looks into systemic remedies.

No formal policy vote resulted from public comment, but council members noted the issues for follow-up.