Binghamton Still Clearing Homeless Encampments

Efforts to develop better policies to provide assistance to Binghamton's homeless population are continuing.

City councilmember Rebecca Rathmelll said she met with Mayor Jared Kraham Monday to discuss steps that might be taken to address some of the concerns expressed by Binghamton residents.

A large crowd of Broome County residents attended a "community conversation" last week following the fatal beating of 45-year-old Peter Bennedum on a downtown Binghamton street. Five teenagers have been charged with murder in connection with his death.

After that meeting, Rathmell submitted a formal request to the mayor to "put a complete pause" on encampment clearing except in cases "in which the safety of unhoused persons" is a immediate risk.

Binghamton public works crews removed these items from an encampment along the Susquehanna River on November 21, 2024. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

In an email to WNBF News Tuesday afternoon, Rathmell said "Mayor Kraham agreed to the pause on encampment clearing activities and committed the support of City Hall in working toward identifying a more humane, more effective solution."

Responding to that statement, Kraham said debris from encampments will continue to be removed. He said an encampment near a Department of Transportation work zone under the State Street bridge was cleared by a city public works crew Tuesday morning. The mayor said he believed "less than five" people had been staying in that encampment.

Kraham said he supports a "more coordinated outreach effort" to address homeless encampments that develop on riverbanks and elsewhere in Binghamton. But he said the "city is not putting a pause on anything."

A riverbank encampment off Conklin Avenue was cleared on April 20, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The city may work with a national organization called Community Solutions which has experience in developing plans "to reduce unsheltered homelessness."

Rathmell said a training session with Community Solutions may be held in Binghamton within the next few weeks.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: Binghamton public works crews at an encampment on the south side of the Susquehanna River on April 20, 2026.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @bobjoseph.bsky.social on Bluesky or @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.