SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A persistent homeless encampment near the Maritime Institute has led to frequent clashes and safety concerns for students, according to CEO Dave Abrams.
"For the last several years, we have been inundated with a homeless encampment on this pathway. It goes along Caltrans property on the other side of our fence. It is on the other side of our parking lot," said Abrams.
The institute trains people from across the country to work on ships. Abrams said people living in the encampment yell at the students as the site is very close to the institute's facilities. "Just threatening behavior. Shouting and screaming at them for no reasons," he said.
Abrams said that shows up on student evaluations after the course is over.
"Students say, do something about your homeless problem. Do something about your encampment. Do something about your parking so we don’t park near crazy people," Abrams added.
ABC 10 News spotted people plugging into the school’s lamp posts. Abrams also said there has been several fires at the camp and much more.
"They are stealing property from our training area. They are vandalizing our training area, covering it with graffiti. It is a constant battle," he said.
Abrams said Caltrans used to clean up the camps and relocate the people living there, which stopped a few months ago.
"We were without a contract briefly that delayed our cleanups. We are currently working under a short-term contract, allowing us to do cleanups while we negotiate a longer-term contract," Caltrans said.
Officials were not able to provide details on why they were without a contract. But Caltrans said under its short-term contract, the area is slated to be cleaned up.
Officials also could not tell ABC 10News when the area will be cleaned up.
"When Caltrans prepares to remove an encampment that presents a threat to infrastructure or people, Caltrans’ Encampment Coordinators work to notify social service providers of the estimated closure date and time," Caltrans said in a statement. "Those providers will conduct outreach to connect people experiencing homelessness with essential services and available shelter or housing options."
