HOLYOKE — Anthony Santana Merced and Raiza Domenech sleep in a tent near McNulty Park, surrounded by pallets wrapped in chicken wire — not to keep people out, but to keep animals away.

Their makeshift home sits at the center of a growing conversation about homelessness in Holyoke. City officials, led by Mayor Joshua A. Garcia, recently began visiting encampments like theirs to offer support and gather information for a new plan aimed at balancing public safety with compassion.

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