A massive clean up effort is underway at the site of a former homeless encampment that had been growing in Half Moon Bay for decades.
People living in that camp were given until 7 a.m. Tuesday to get into a shelter or move along.
A cleanup crew started to fill dumpsters with the massive amount of garbage left behind from the former campsite alongside Pilarcitos Creek.
The Half Moon Bay City Council voted in the fall to shut the camp down and do something to protect this environmentally-sensitive area that’s been littered with a growing amount of human waste, drug paraphernalia, and other trash that’s been piling up here.
At its height, officials believe 20-25 people had been living here every night.
The city has been working with the people there for months trying to persuade them to get into shelters or other services. On Friday, signs were posted letting them know that they had to be out by 7 a.m. Tuesday.
It is past that deadline and people were still picking up their possessions.
One man says he’s found a better alternative to the shelter.
“My mother lives right down the road at the senior home, and I’m better taking care of her, wash a dish, and hugging to grandma then get in free something from someone else,” the man said.
Ian Adamson is with one of the many homeless outreach organizations that came out there on Tuesday to see if they can persuade the last-minute stragglers to get help.
“People are moving in…and then moving their stuff away,” Adamson said. “I want to make sure to be here to make sure that some options to other than just hitting the streets. We got some folks out here who are physically disabled and mentally disabled, so we just been trying to offer them some short-term housing to get them through this difficult time.”
One camp resident who did not want to appear on camera told KRON4 that she never imagined herself in this situation. She said she is still trying to find a permanent place to live and is going to some of the organizations to try and get some help.
She says all she can do now is move forward.