WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Time is running out for homeless people camped at McPherson Square. They have until February 15 to leave.

The National Park Service, NPS, which operates the park, said it’s not safe for anyone to stay there.

“I am not going to leave voluntarily if they intend on clearing the park,” said Daniel Kingery, who has stayed at McPherson Square for three years. “They will have to arrest me out of here.”

The NPS originally gave the homeless until April 12 to go. But according to the agency, safety concerns forced the date to be moved up two months at the request of the D.C. Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services.

“Right now the park is available to everyone,” Kingery said. “They want to make it available to everyone except the homeless.”

The agency said in an email “high levels of illegal drug and other criminal activity impedes social services’ outreach and endangers social services providers, mental health clinicians, unsheltered individuals, and the public,” as a reason for the earlier date.

Volunteers who drop off supplies to the homeless disagree with the eviction.

“It’s a tragedy to know that within this area, knowing that this is the only area they’ve been able to settle to know that now they don’t really have any place to go,” said Daija Jackson, who attends the nearby Chicago School.

The blame is not just pointed at the NPS.

“I think it’s a failing on a part of the government and the community here that there isn’t more that can be done for them,” said Astria MCneish, another student at the school.

However, some at the camp look forward to the move.

“Been a lot of things going on here. They finally stood up and set a date for everyone to leave,” said Bernice Norman, who has lived at the camp for four months. “It’s either they get housing or more people out on the street. Hopefully, it’s not people out on the street.”

The National Park Service also said it’s working with agencies around the district to find people here new places to live and connect them with the services they need.