Topeka crews crack down on homeless camps near Kansas River

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The City of Topeka is taking action on homeless camps north of the Kansas River as part of the enforcement of a new camping ordinance.

On the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 27 there were city trucks and several pieces of heavy equipment tearing down camps along the riverfront. The work crews are focused on an area between the Kansas Avenue and Topeka Boulevard bridges.

Last year, a new camping ordinance was passed after an annual homeless count found the city hit a four-year-high. The camping ordinance places restrictions on where people can camp in city limits. The restrictions can be found in sections 9.45.360 and 9.45.350 in Topeka’s municipal codes and include the following rules:

• No camping within 500 feet of the centerline of any trail
• No camping within 50 feet of the centerline of any sidewalk inside city limits
• No camping within a levee-critical zone

If found in violation of the ordinance, an individual faces possible imprisonment of up to 30 days and can be served a fine up to $499.

In Feb. 2024, the City of Topeka told 27 News it would be rolling out a 'phased approach' to dealing with homelessness. As part of the phased approach, the city started posting signs near encampments between Topeka Boulevard and the Kansas Avenue Bridges north of the Kansas River.

The signs are intended to notify the roughly 20 homeless individuals in the area that they are at risk of violating the camping ordinance, according to Topeka Rescue Mission Executive Director La Manda Broyles.

The city has tackled cleaning up several homeless camps over the years:

• On July 25, 2023, city workers cleared a homeless camp in south Topeka. The effort took place along South Kansas Avenue. BNSF worked with the city to help clean up the 3900 block of South Kansas Avenue.
• On April 6, 2022, the city finished a clean-up effort at a large “Tent City” in north Topeka citing public health and safety reasons.
• In March 2019, the city reported $750,000 in damage after a campfire set by homeless individuals warped a steel girder on the Kansas Avenue bridge.

To read more on what the City of Topeka has done to solve the homeless issue, click here.

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