Camp Tharros, a state-approved tent city outside of Lewes, delays its return, leaving some former residents stranded.
Tharros was a temporary tent city for working people experiencing homelessness that was set up along Route 1 last fall. The site used to house barracks for Delaware State Police but has remained largely unused since.
The state allowed Tharros to set up 28 tents on the former Troop 7 site from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30, when Code Purple's winter shelters opened.
Tharros site director Mike Agnew planned to reopen March 15, but county permitting stalled the process, even with Sussex County expediting Agnew’s requests. Agnew hopes Tharros will become a fixture in the community from spring through autumn.
The conditional use permit process usually takes 18 to 24 months, Agnew said.
Still, there’s a two month gap between now and councilmembers hearing from Tharros. And Agnew has seen a 50 percent increase in Lewes-area shelter populations in the last year.
“The county recognizes the importance of Tharros, and I think the state does too, but they're patiently waiting for the county to finish their approval,” Agnew said.
Sussex County Councilmembers will hear from Camp Tharros June 17, leaving residents to fend for themselves – many of them in encampments – until then.
Agnew wants to see Tharros residents have a clean living space in the meantime, something he was prepared to do March 15.
“We had all the equipment we needed, plus we have commitments from one of our vendors. Casella is the trash company in our area, predominant residential trash company, providing us with a free dumpster. And they were also covering half of our costs for porta potties, ready to go.”
Residents also had access to food and showers when Tharros was active, thanks to local churches and advocacy groups.
Agnew asked state officials for an interim agreement to allow residents back into Tharros that would expire when the county makes its decision, but he hasn’t heard back yet.
When the project was first delayed, Agnew said the state provided hotel vouchers to the 28 Tharros residents for about two weeks.
“Now everyone is in an encampment,” Agnew said. “Not pleasant. And certainly something we were trying to avoid with Tharros. In fact, the whole principle of Tharros was to avoid the encampment for a number of reasons. I mean, the encampment brings health hazards, safety hazards, environmental hazards and it also increases the number of ER visits.”
Delays have also led to Agnew and others – including health care professionals – to lose touch with residents.
Agnew is waiting on a response from state officials to reopen Tharros until Sussex County Council makes its final decision.
