CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team has found people sleeping everywhere at Hopkins Airport and many appear to be homeless, not waiting for a flight.

We investigated after concerns from travelers, and we asked what’s being done about it.

Wednesday, an I-Team photographer walked through the airport terminal to capture what travelers see in the early hours of the morning.

The video shows people sleeping on the floor, sprawled out on benches, sleeping in hallways, sleeping in stairwells and more.

There were no storm-cancelled flights. Instead, the people we saw didn’t appear to be waiting for a flight.

Night after night, the airport draws a crowd of people homeless or simply in need of a place to sleep.

One traveler who had reached out to the I-Team told us, “It’s just the fact that that’s the first thing people coming into Cleveland are seeing to begin with.”

Valerie Pavlik also spoke out after encountering the same sights after flying into Cleveland.

“In my opinion, safety is my biggest concern,” she said. “I think there should be a bigger security presence in the baggage area.”

In fact, in recent months, Hopkins has had some incidents involving people not there to catch a flight. One man had harassed an employee at a ticket counter. Then, as police approached him, he said, “I’ll shoot you in your face. You’re racist.”

Wednesday, after a city council committee hearing, we approached Dennis Kramer, the airport’s acting director. We tried to ask questions about the situation overnight at the airport, but he simply referred us to the mayor’s office.

We’ve learned Cleveland police engage some of the folks sleeping all over the airport by escorting them to the next RTA rapid train out of Hopkins.

However, as we’ve shown you, police are short-staffed. The number of officers assigned to the airport is down about a quarter from where it’s expected.

Eventually, the airport told us it has created a Task Force of Advocates for the Unhoused. It’s a group looking at security options and crisis intervention training for employees.

The group is also teaming up with a hospital and others to offer help.

The travelers we spoke to hope it makes a difference.

“Hopefully taking a more proactive approach and getting them some help can resolve the situation,” Pavlik said.

We will follow up to see the impact of the work of that task force.