Judge approves shutdown of large California homeless camp
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Southern California authorities took steps Tuesday toward shutting down a large homeless encampment and relocating hundreds of tent-dwellers to motel rooms under a court-supervised deal with lawyers who sued to protect their rights.
Scores of people hauling suitcases and pet dogs lined up in the encampment Santa Ana River to speak with county workers tasked with placing the homeless in motel rooms for up to 30 days as sheriff’s deputies begin clearing the trash-strewn site.
County officials said the challenge was ensuring they were reaching some 600 homeless tent-dwellers who had been living on the two-mile (3.2 kilometre) long stretch of the riverbed bike trail since last summer, and not others heading to the encampment solely to seek a motel voucher.
“It makes it very difficult for us to help everybody,” said Frank Kim, the county’s chief executive officer, adding that he saw people arrive with sleeping bags at the encampment over the weekend. “We’re going to help everybody but not everybody is going to get a motel voucher.”