ESCONDIDO (KGTV) — Escondido Creek has a homeless encampment so large, neighbors have dubbed it "the jungle". Every few steps is a new tent or canopy. Each property covered in people’s belongings and trash.
“I have a hole in my tent where the radio lit on fire,” said Angelica Johnson, who lives in a tent on the creek.
I got a tour of Johnson’s camp, where she’s lived for the last year. She says one of her neighbors helped design it.
“I do have this curtain I can pull down for privacy,” Johnson said. "The flowers and the leaves are to decorate and make it feel more homelike.”
The creek and trees provide a comfortable environment for people without a home. Local churches and nonprofits also bring them food and resources. But homeowners in the surrounding area say this encampment is a safety hazard and has caused an uptick in crime.
“Camping in public spaces like this is not legal," Jason Farr said. "It has been bringing crime to our neighborhoods.”
One man shared these photos from a surveillance camera outside his home. He says they show people taking items from his backyard.
“They trash everything, they steal stuff from my property," Esteban Diego said. "This thing on the top of my light and they take the top off my hose and get water when I'm not home.”
City crews, alongside a team of nonprofits, agreed to clear out the encampment on Monday. The city would not specify how they plan to do so.
“If it is becoming a nuisance or problem with the city, heaven forbid I want to be a part of that,” Johnson said.
Johnson says she expects to move into transitional housing before then. But everyone else might not have that same opportunity. There are currently more than 400 homeless people in Escondido, dozens are down near the creek. The city does not have enough shelter beds to house all of them.
“When you go ahead and say everyone's gotta be up and out, where’s everyone going to go?” Johnson said.
Johnson says it’ll be hard to get people to move out of this tight-knit community.
