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El Cajon’s top administrator said the city should not implement a proposed program to store homeless individuals’ personal belongings after encampments are cleared.
The city typically conducts encampment clearings and cleanups twice a week. Individuals at the encampments are told to relocate, and items that are left behind are collected and disposed of by the city.
Last year, the city’s homeless encampment team removed around 250 tons of abandoned items, according to a recent report.
During the city’s annual update on homelessness programs over the summer, city leaders asked staff to research the feasibility of a storage program for items that are collected when encampments are cleared.
City Manager Graham Mitchell said the drawbacks of such a program outweigh the benefits.
Providing storage opportunities for homeless individuals after clearings can be helpful to those pursuing treatment or housing options, a staff report said.
Similar programs have been implemented in the city of San Diego and Lemon Grove. Individuals oftentimes use the facilities to safely keep their important documents or most treasured possessions.
However, staff noted a large cost associated with implementing and staffing a storage program. Assuming a basic setup, the city estimated initial costs to Read Entire Article
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