“I can’t stop them.”

This is how Sylvia Murray described an ongoing issue she is having with homeless encampments at her home on West 15th avenue in Bowling Green, an issue she said has been ongoing for several years and something other property owners in the area have told the Daily News has impacted their ability to lease units.

“I don’t know who they are,” she told the Daily News in the front room of her home. “They just drop their junk … ”

Murray has lived on West 15th Avenue since the late 2000s. In years past, she worked at a steel mill and spent some time in the military. Property records show that she and her late husband purchased the property in 2007.

In the city of Bowling Green, homeless encampments are designated as a “nuisance” under the city’s regulations. When an encampment is discovered and not cleaned up, fines are levied.

For Murray’s address, city records show six code violation cases currently open, one of which has $5,900 amount due.

Murray said people began showing up at her home after her husband died. At first, she said, people were coming a few at a time. Over the years though, the numbers have ticked up, something she credits to word of mouth.

“I let two or three come in and their friends,” she said, adding that eventually there were “friends of friends of friends” coming by.

Sometimes, they would sit on Murray’s porch and rest for a short time before moving on. Other times, they would stay in a detached garage behind her house. At one point, 59 people were staying at the address.

As for why she decided to help some people, Murray pointed to possibly having a higher purpose.

“It’s nothing I want,” Murray said. “But I think maybe the Lord put me here to talk to people that need it and try to help them get a step up in the right direction.”

Angela Taylor, a friend of Murray’s, told the Daily News that Murray is “so compassionate” and “has a really good heart.”

“She loves helping people, and it’s really hard for her to turn somebody down, especially when she knows what they’ve been through,” Taylor said. “I think that once people started taking advantage of her, then things sort of got out of hand.”

Hannah Barahona maintains 10 units in the area of West 15th, including a multi-unit house directly across an alley from Murray’s home. Barahona told the Daily News she has been struggling with encampments on nearby addresses for several years.

Barahona said issues began in 2020. At the time, her family owned a 32-unit storage building at 110 Plain Ave.

“I started having problems with increased break-ins,” she said. “Then I had a problem with transient individuals sleeping in them and using the bathroom in them.”

Because of this, that building was ultimately demolished. Around the same time, she started noticing people living in the backyard of Murray’s house, which led to Barahona filing a complaint with the city’s code department.

The problem didn’t go away. By Barahona’s estimate, she has filed “five or six” complaints since 2020.

In the past, Barahona has had tents appear on some of her properties. She said when this has happened, she has called the police and had the people and the tents removed. In 2023, she discovered a group of homeless people she described as “squatters” living inside a multi-unit house she maintains.

Barahona said for one bedroom-one bathroom units at her properties she charges $600 per month. For two bedroom units rent stands at $700 per month, and three-bed units stand at $1,000 monthly. She said she has had to stop leasing some units in the house people were living in and that the amount she charges in rent would have not been enough to meet the cost of repairs.

Barahona described her frustration with the issue.

“There is a gap in services for people that are in active addiction,” she said, noting that needles have been found around some of her properties. “ … Based on what I know from other friends that have dealt with the same problem, they are mostly people that are using drugs and they don’t have a place to go.

“I don’t know how to fix that, but that’s the biggest problem.”

Bowling Green’s Code Enforcement and Nuisance Board approved per-day fines on Murray’s property during a Jan. 30, 2025, meeting, after Murray was notified of ways to bring her property into compliance.

The fines stood at $100 per day and were in place for 60 days, or until the property came into compliance. On April 23, 2025, the board approved another round of $100 per day fines for the same 60-day period or until the property reaches compliance.

Brad Schargorodski, head of the city’s code division, said his department is “primarily to educate” residents on the rules, and stated that ultimately, property owners have authority over what they own.

“You own your property, you have a right to your property,” he said. ” … I can’t tell you that you’re not allowed to associate with certain individuals.”