Over the past year, the Binghamton area has suffered several tragedies in the loss of several unhoused individuals — sparking a conversation in the community about the treatment of unhoused people in the area.

Just one month after Peter Bennedum, an unhoused man residing in the City of Binghamton, died from his injuries after being beaten by five teenagers on April 27, six people died in a fire at the Knights Inn in Endwell, which was being used as a shelter for unhoused families. The incidents sparked widespread community backlash.

“It continues to worsen, and people continue to die, like yesterday, like the beating death of Peter Bennedum, like the clearing of the encampments,” said Travis Bryden MSW ‘26, a former representative from Binghamton University Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine at a protest following the Knights Inn fire. “It’s all connected, it’s all part of the same systemic failure. We can’t view them in isolation.”

A community vigil was held to honor Bennedum’s life following the attack. Participants lit candles and donated resources for people in need.

Several community members participated in an encampment that lasted over three weeks after the Knights Inn fire killed six and displaced 73 others. The encampment began as a protest against the use of hotels as homeless shelters and the dangers these temporary residences pose to tenants.

In 2025, Broome County spent $9.5 million to place families in hotels. According to police records from the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, there were 264 calls for police intervention at the Knights Inn. As of March 31, four level 2 and 3 registered sex offenders were living at the hotel.

The rally turned into an encampment when protesters set up tents and occupied the street outside of the Broome County Office Building for 24 days. A majority of the members of the encampment were unhoused themselves, according to Masai Andrews, a community organizer from the GloryShines foundation.

Andrews told News 12 that the encampment fed and provided healthcare to those who participated.

Members of the encampment were ordered to remove all temporary structures — such as tents, chairs and tables — on July 1 by the Binghamton Police Department. The order stated that because the gathering did not have an authorized event permit, these items were not allowed.

However, the participants were permitted to stay on the sidewalk and remained there until July 16.

Local officials, however, felt that the encampment was not an effective way to fight for affordable housing.

“I think it’s unfortunate that encampment organizers felt they had to diminish the efforts of others to highlight their own,” Binghamton City Council Majority Leader Rebecca Rathmell told News 12. “Ending homelessness is not a competition. And it’s going to take all of us.”

Andrews also said that the encampment resulted in several other homeless shelters receiving fire inspections.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar held a press conference on July 14 to address some of the community’s concerns. During the conference, Garnar spoke out against Vestal Town Supervisor Maria Sexton for calling for all residents to vacate the Vestal Parkway Inn, another homeless shelter, after a June inspection.

Garnar claimed during the conference that an “immediate evacuation” at the hotel was unnecessary. Sexton responded to the comment, saying that the shelter was in fact unfit to live in. She criticized Garnar for his alleged lack of cooperation with municipalities regarding the housing crisis.

“The County Officials’ assertion that these conditions are acceptable for anyone is unacceptable,” Sexton wrote in a July statement. “We cannot allow another tragedy to occur, and a real long-term solution must be found. Jason Garnar’s denial of the problems and refusal to assist with corrections is unacceptable.”

A Town of Vestal code officer issued a notice of violations, but did not require anyone to vacate the hotel.

On July 16, protesters disrupted a Binghamton City Legislative session to advocate for better housing. The disruption turned violent, and police intervened. According to News 12, up to three people were arrested.

The encampment ended after the legislative meeting.

Over two weeks after the fire, a former resident of the Knights Inn filed a notice of claim against the county for failing to exercise “reasonable care” when housing people in the hotel. Kimberly Crooks, the plaintiff, and her son were living in the Knights Inn when the fire broke out and lost all of their belongings.

“The Department failed to exercise reasonable care in selecting the Knights Inn as a placement and in fact, failed to investigate the safety of the location for purposes of providing those individuals eligible for public assistance and wholly dependent upon the Department to ensure that the living quarters they were placed in were safe and free from hazardous conditions and circumstances,” the court documents state.

The documents also allege that the Knights Inn had several safety violations — including broken smoke sensors, carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors.

These incidents follow the clearing of the Susquehanna River unhoused encampment in 2024, which was disbanded after a fire was reported. The incident created debate among Binghamton officials about how to handle the housing crisis — with the use of hotels as shelters central to the issue.

In an interview with Pipe Dream, Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham described the efforts undertaken by the city and the mayor’s office to address the crisis. He said that in his role as mayor, he has focused on advancing efforts to establish more affordable housing.

“So if you look at what we’re doing in pushing affordable housing, affordable housing means less homelessness,” Kraham said. “Affordable housing means more affordability for families, and what it means is that if a family is not having to spend a huge portion of their monthly income on rent, they’re able to have better economic outcomes. They can spend money on childcare, going back to school. Sometimes it’s as simple as a set of tires on their car to get to work, and it means dignity for the people that live there.”

Kraham outlined several housing projects that have been undertaken during his tenure, including the Rivers Bend Apartments, which provide Section 8 housing and a complex on Clinton Street that will have units designated for working families and individuals.

Kraham also explained that much of the budget to address local housing issues is allocated to the Department of Social Services, which is a county department.

The Broome County Executive’s Office did not respond to Pipe Dream’s request for comment.

“This issue has been going on for a long time, over a decade, really,” Andrews told News 12. “We believe there is a way to address the housing crisis, but what the local government lacks is the will.”