CHULA VISTA, Calif. — South Bay residents came together Tuesday night to address the ongoing homelessness crisis. Chula Vista residents say a growing number of homeless people are encamping along Industrial Boulevard.
City Council met to discuss issues on the street near the popular Harborside Park and Harborside Elementary School, as well as solutions including increased outreach services, police presence, clean-up efforts, fencing and neighborhood watches.
The city was given three additional options to alleviate its growing homelessness problem. One is to pass an unsafe camping ordinance, which is expected to cost $150,000 to develop policy and $400,000 to implement in state, federal and local funds. The time frame will take six to eight months.
Another is to develop a low-barrier shelter, also known as a safe camping or parking space. The initial estimated cost is US$1 million, with annual operating costs of US$500,000. This time frame will also take six to eight months to implement.
Finally, another solution to consider is relocating the fence along Industrial Avenue. The cost of local funding averages $350,000 and implementation takes one to three months.
While no direct action was taken, the City Council ultimately decided to continue considering three options to resolve the issue.
People camping along Industrial Avenue have been coming and going for the past few months. And the population is growing.
FOX 5 spoke with a man living in the encampment who immigrated to the South Bay after the city of San Diego’s controversial encampment ban passed.
“When we get back to where we were, we have to move again,” they said.
On Friday, the city snatched 63 tents from Industrial Avenue. There are also nearly 37,000 pounds of trash. A few hours later, the 17 camps were back to normal.
As of Tuesday, the number of campsites had grown to 45; a trend that has impacted local businesses.
“We’ve had to spend a lot of money on additional lighting, fencing and additional security services to reassure our customers that we’re doing everything we can,” said John Fischer, who owns a storage space in Chula Vista ) explain.
Roberto Ramirez ran a strong jiu-jitsu base near a concentration camp area. His lease is set to expire at the end of the year and he is considering moving the business elsewhere.
“If nothing is done, we may have to move out of Chula Vista,” Ramirez said.
Eight-year-old Jaden Rojas trains there and said the sight of him riding his bike to the gym is something no child should see.
“I saw people like holding knives. Just on the way there, I heard people shooting in the air and stabbing each other,” Rojas said.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan also addressed the growing problem Tuesday, blaming it on what she said is weak state law that desperately needs reform.
“That particular part of them moving and coming back is driven by mental health and addiction… Without different laws, that’s not going to be addressed,” Stephen explained.
