A homeless encampment that has been in the spotlight in Carbon County over the last few months is nearly vacated, officials report.

On Thursday, Commissioners’ Chairman Michael Sofranko said that the number of homeless individuals residing in Tent City has dropped from nearly three dozen a few months ago to three as of this week.

Tent City is located between Lehighton and Weissport near the Lehigh River on land owned by Carbon County and has been a source of complaints from residents regarding campers burning.

Sofranko said that most of the people have either found a residence, moved in with family or friends, found help through the shelters or have simply moved on to other encampments on private land where they are allowed to stay by the landowner.

“It’s obvious that that’s a huge burden off the county,” Sofranko said. “It has been a lot of hard work from the Homeless Task Force, the Sheriff’s Department, Commissioners’ office and everyone involved.”

He added that in the near future, a planned cleanup of the site will take place, but there are some logistics that need to be determined before that can happen.

Sofranko stressed that people should not venture into the area unless authorized due to safety concerns.

Carbon County issued a vacate the premises notice at Tent City in March and sheriff’s officers have worked to post the property as it was a liability to the county.

The board also worked with outside agencies to try and find other housing options for the individuals living on the property.

Earlier this month, the entrance was gated and chained off.

Homelessness has been a growing problem in Carbon County.

Last week, Carbon County Collaborative held a breakfast meeting to discuss what the overall picture of the county regarding the homeless population and resources to help these people looks like.