BATON ROUGE - Sheriff's Deputies, St. Vincent de Paul, and other agencies are extending a hand trying to help the homeless population find a way off the streets and into a home.

Some homeless have formed camps in a wooded area off Siegen Lane behind a shopping center and in between neighborhoods. The land they're staying on is private property.

"We're seeing a larger group of those that are experiencing homelessness over here in this area and we received a lot of calls," said Casey Hicks with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.

There are at least a dozen of these camps, some with pitched tents, others with a wooden shed. Shopping carts, coolers, tubs, garbage cans, and trash are scattered around the area. The Sheriff's Office has spent a couple nights there this week visiting with the individuals staying there. The deputies have been talking with them trying to learn what tools they need to get back on their feet.

Assistant Regional Director with Start Corporation Laura Martinez is helping this group of people by providing them with resources they may need.

"We're talking about people here," said Martinez. "It's cold and we don't want people living on the streets and so we really want to assist them to improve their lives and get back into an apartment or a house where they can start working on the things they need to work on."

The Sheriff's Office says it spoke with 17 people and had a couple of people sign up for housing Friday morning.