NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Some Nashville neighbors are worried the city’s homeless issue is getting worse, and they say their requests for help have fallen on deaf ears.

Brittany McCann and her Hermitage neighbors have been fighting for nearly a year to get the city to clear out the homeless encampment along Andrew Jackson Parkway.

“It’s just so bad and dangerous. We’re being told to avoid the area,” McCann said.

McCann told News 2 many of the people living in the encampment have caused a slew of problems for neighbors and businesses, and they’ve gotten bolder in their crimes. “We’re seeing people are no longer afraid to shoot up drugs in public, in the open, they don’t even try to hide the drug deals or injecting anymore.”

McCann is now concerned the issue is spreading across the city now that the Hermitage encampment is nearly half a mile long. “That land of all the property over here for our big encampment is full, it’s overflowing, so yes they are looking for other places to stay, whether that be other places in Hermitage or other camps in the city.”

Madison neighbors are dealing with similar issues due to a newer encampment behind Stoney River Lane next to the train tracks. Even though the homeless camp is hidden behind some brush, resident Lauren Hayslett said the people living there are committing crimes and causing problems in plain sight.

“Just to be trying to enjoy your property, trying to enjoy your yard and someone passes through with a bunch of stolen merchandise or someone who is obviously on drugs having an episode right in front of your house,” Hayslett said. “It’s really unnerving and kind of makes you go inside.”

Hayslett told News 2 she reached out to Metro’s Office of Homeless Services (OHS), Metro police, and CSX police for help, but had no luck. She realizes the issue of homelessness is complex, but she said finding housing for those staying in the encampment should be a priority.

“I would love to see these people in transitional housing,” Hayslett said. “I think there would be a lot of people who just want to leave the homeless encampments alone, but I don’t really think it’s humane as a society to let people try to live in those conditions, because there’s just no way to get out of it if all you have to go home to is a tent.”

A spokesperson for OHS told News 2 after the first housing phase, some people experiencing homelessness moved into a temporary housing option due to a variety of reasons. OHS used vouchers to find them permanent housing, opening up space at the temporary option again. The city will be ready “any day now” to begin phase two of the housing initiative, which includes clearing out additional encampments, but a date hasn’t been set yet.