SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — A growing homeless encampment on Industrial Blvd. in Chula Vista was cleared on Friday amid an ongoing discussion about safety.
“They throw it all away…and it’s like, one step forward for us, then they knock us back three or four steps,” Brittany McKinney told 10News.
McKinney, who has been living on Industrial, says being asked to relocate is part of the norm for her and other homeless in Chula Vista.
“When you’re being forced out of everything, you feel like nothing. When you feel like nothing, you can’t accomplish anything,” McKinney said.
The city says they’re responding to concerns raised by businesses and families living in the area.
“There are people walking their kids to school,” said Ana Rodriguez, whose son attended Harborside Elementary down the street.
Harborside Elementary, just around the corner from the encampment, told 10News they increased security measures, including installing security cameras and hiring a security guard to keep families walking to and from school safe.
Rodriguez says the problem has only gotten worse in recent weeks.
“A lot of liquor bottles, needles, just different things…I don’t even walk through that area anymore," Rodriguez said.
Angelica Davis, a Homeless Solutions Manager with the City of Chula Vista, says they have outreach teams consistently working with the homeless in the area and typically clear the encampment once a week. Although due to the holidays, she says this is their first encampment cleanup on this stretch of Industrial Blvd. this year.
“The way these operations work, first of all, we are required to provide notice, we come out, we do outreach,” Davis explained. “Typically, they do relocate, but unfortunately, the next day…the majority of them do come back.”
Hoping to find a more sustainable solution, Davis said Chula Vista City Council will discuss options at their next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
