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San Bernardino says encampment cleanups, new teams and shelters are reconnecting people to services
Summary
City leaders described a multi-pronged homeless response that included large-scale cleanups, outreach that led hundreds to accept services and plans for a 135-bed shelter and navigation center.
San Bernardino leaders told attendees at the city's State of the City event that crews cleared encampments, connected hundreds of people to services and are moving forward with new shelter capacity and targeted outreach.
Mayor Helen Tran said that after nearly a year under a federal injunction preventing encampment cleanups, city crews were able to act and reclaim parks and public spaces. "In just 6 months, they cleared encampments from 6 parks and 5 other sites, removing nearly 478,000 pounds, almost 250 tons of debris and materials to restore health and safety. Today, all 38 city parks have been reclaimed," Tran said.
The mayor and council described outreach results and follow-up programs intended to move people off the street and into housing or services. Officials said 419 individuals accepted services during recent cleanups. The city announced a Waterman Avenue Encampment Resolution Team intended to connect 150 residents to housing and care along a roughly five-mile corridor.
Council member Mario Flores described additional shelter and transitional capacity coming online. Flores said the city will open a 135-bed shelter operated by Lutheran Social Services in partnership with Dignity Moves and will break ground next year on the Hope Campus Navigation Center. Those projects were presented as part of an effort to pair cleanups with offers of shelter and supportive services, not only removal of encampments.
A resident who spoke at the event described her experience with homelessness and the role of outreach workers. "I was giving up," Rosemary Ferrer said of living on the street; after repeated assistance she and multiple generations of her family were placed in housing. Ferrer thanked outreach staff who helped fill paperwork and provide furniture and other household items.
Officials repeatedly framed the work as coordinated among city staff, county partners, The Salvation Army and local nonprofits. City statements emphasized that outreach and shelter openings would continue alongside cleanup operations.
Several details were not specified at the event, including exact opening dates for the 135-bed shelter, detailed shelter operating budgets, and the full staffing plan for the Waterman Avenue team. City leaders said those operational specifics remain to be finalized with partner agencies.
Looking ahead, officials said the combined strategy of cleanup, outreach and new shelter capacity aims to restore park access for residents while providing routes to housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.
