NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) -- National City's ordinance that bans homeless encampments in certain parts of the city takes effect Thursday.
Under the ordinance, which was unanimously approved by the National City Council in September, people are prohibited from sleeping on public property anywhere within two blocks of schools, waterways, trolley stops, and transit hubs.
National City Mayor Ron Morrison told ABC 10News that most of the new homeless people in National City are not from the city. He said they are being pushed into his city from downtown San Diego and other surrounding areas, especially during big events.
"Traditionally, in the last few years, we've had two waves of homelessness that are not from National City. It's typically in April and in September, and it coincides with the opening week of the Padres season and Comic-Con," Morrison said.
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Over the summer, National City opened its first homeless shelter, which offers 162 beds.
Morrison said the city's homeless outreach team is offering help to the unhoused community, and currently half of the beds in the shelter are filled.
However, according to Morrison, there are still many people who refuse help, and he finds them living in inhumane conditions. He said the ban is not meant to harm but to help those situations.
"Are we criminalizing them? No," Morrison said. "What we're doing is humanizing this thing and saying it is not humane to have a person sleeping on the sidewalk, sleeping with rats, sleeping out with no bathroom facilities, hygiene; that's not humane."
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Morrison said there is a growing number of encampments the city is also finding along state property and freeways.
Morrison is asking San Diego County's Health and Human Services Agency to do more to help people living in those areas because it's outside of National City’s jurisdiction.
