San Diego will mark the first anniversary of the removal of a massive encampment in the San Diego Riverbed in Mission Valley Monday, where more than 100 people once lived.

City officials will gather Monday at Old Sea World Drive and Friars Road to provide an update on the clearance work. They say of the individuals who were removed from the area, 59 are in permanent housing, while 46 are enrolled in a shelter program.

“Approximately one year ago, the city of San Diego and its partners removed 78 tons of trash and debris from a location along the San Diego River known as `The Island’ near Interstate 5 and Old Sea World Drive,” officials said in a statement released Sunday. “Today, the spot remains free of encampments, due in large part to the months-long outreach effort to provide shelter and housing options to individuals living in that area.”

The work was made possible through a California Encampment Resolution Funding grant that was secured in 2023 in collaboration with the county of San Diego to provide dedicated, ongoing financial assistance to ensure stable housing or shelter options for people leaving encampments.

In conducting outreach to people living in the encampments, the city partnered with People Assisting the Homeless and Healthcare in Action. The project also included a supportive services contract with the National Alliance on Mental Illness San Diego to assist individuals as they transitioned out of encampments and into long-term housing.

The city continues to provide outreach services for other individuals residing further up the riverbed and will be conducting similar, targeted operations along the San Diego River.

Since the outreach and cleanup efforts concluded, city Park Rangers have conducted frequent patrols of the area. In Fiscal Year 2025, two Park Ranger positions were added to the Parks and Recreation Department’s budget and assigned to the San Diego River Valley in its entirety to patrol and maintain the San Diego River and its tributaries, officials said.

The city also continues to work with the San Diego River Park Foundation, which regularly conducts volunteer cleanups in the area.

(PHOTO: ABC 10)