{"id":787009,"date":"2026-05-10T17:45:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T17:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/787009\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T17:45:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T17:45:21","slug":"what-happens-after-a-homeless-encampment-sweep-city-data-shows-the-limits-of-what-san-diegos-strategy-accomplishes-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/787009\/","title":{"rendered":"What happens after a homeless encampment sweep? City data shows the limits of what San Diego\u2019s strategy accomplishes \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a warm April day, bordering on hot, with the midday sun overhead. Still, Savannah Flores stays beneath a black tarp she has fashioned into a tent. If she tries to climb out, she says, it might collapse. So she agrees to talk through a small hole in the plastic.<\/p>\n

Two or three days a week, she says, city crews sweep through this half-block stretch of 17th Street. The roughly two dozen people who usually camp there get 24 hours\u2019 notice to pack up.<\/p>\n

Flores, 35, has been homeless for about a year. Whenever police come to clear out the area, she goes around the corner and returns later.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey come and they treat us pretty much like we\u2019re part of the trash,\u201d she says. \u201cThey tell us to disappear somewhere, to be invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valeria Burton, 66, who camps a few blocks away, moves her things across the street when crews show up. With the swelling in her feet, it\u2019s the farthest she can go.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been nearly three years since the San Diego City Council narrowly passed its Unsafe Camping Ordinance, which bans overnight camping on public property when a shelter bed is available and sets rules for how the city can enforce and abate encampments.<\/p>\n

The city has carried out more than 16,000 encampment abatements in the nearly three years since the law took effect.<\/p>\n

During that time, the city\u2019s unsheltered population fell slightly, by less than 5%. The median monthly count of homeless people living downtown had fallen\u00a0by half two years after the ordinance as hundreds of people moved into city-run secure sleeping sites. Now fewer are being counted as living in public areas.<\/p>\n

Proponents hail these trends as signs the ordinance is a success.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur investment in shelters and safe sleeping is reducing homeless encampments, and that benefits us all,\u201d said Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, the architect of the ordinance, in a statement this month. \u201cOf course, there are still too many people on the streets, and we must keep investing so we can reduce encampments in public spaces even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

But an analysis of city data requested by The San Diego Union-Tribune shows a more complicated picture of what the city\u2019s homeless encampment sweeps actually accomplish.<\/p>\n

\"JasonJason Borja removes what he can from his encampment near the state Route 94 westbound freeway during a recent abatement of encampments. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Encampments often reappear days \u2014 sometimes hours \u2014 after they\u2019re cleared. In East Village, at K and 16th streets, the city cleared encampments at least 107 times in 2025, the Union-Tribune analysis found.<\/p>\n

Just down the block at 200 17th Street \u2014 near the Neil Good Day Center, where Flores camps to be near services the center provides \u2014 crews returned at least 98 times.<\/p>\n

And at 8th Avenue and E Street, crews came by 83 times to abate encampments.<\/p>\n

The strategy is costing\u00a0city taxpayers millions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In fiscal 2025, the city spent more than $7 million on encampment sweeps, up from $6.4 million the year before.<\/p>\n

That figure doesn\u2019t include staffing costs for any of the hours police spend supervising each sweep, most of them overtime, said San Diego police Capt. Stephen Shebloski, who oversees the department\u2019s Neighborhood Policing Division.<\/p>\n

City officials say the sweeps are driven by complaints and by where they know encampments tend to recur. Crews return over and over to some of the same locations \u2014 especially downtown \u2014 where trash, human waste and drug paraphernalia can accumulate quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know if we don\u2019t go there \u2026 you\u2019re in feces, needles, all that for days,\u201d said Franklin Coopersmith, deputy director of the city\u2019s Environmental Services Department. \u201cThat\u2019s when you start getting the transmission of diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DuringDuring a recent encampment abatement on F Street downtown, one man dragged his tent to the other side of the street. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s happened in San Diego before.<\/p>\n

A 2017 outbreak of hepatitis A killed 20 people, most of them homeless, and sickened hundreds more; officials later found better sanitation measures could have slowed the spread. And in 2021, an outbreak of Shigella virus infected 53 people, all homeless. Like hep A, Shigella is spread through poor sanitation.<\/p>\n

The sweeps help the city address some of the tens of thousands of complaints filed by members of the public each year. After the ordinance took effect, new Get It Done reports of encampments fell from 66,000 in 2023 to 40,000 in 2025.<\/p>\n

At the same time, police and outreach workers are redoubling their efforts to move people from encampments to shelter. Referrals have more than doubled in recent years, while people are accepting help more often from police, a recent city audit<\/a> found.<\/p>\n

But for all the sweeps and outreach, any effort to curb street homelessness is hampered by one fundamental fact: The city does not have enough shelter beds or affordable housing.<\/p>\n

Only one of nine referrals made in fiscal 2025 resulted in a shelter placement, the audit found. City shelters and safe sleeping sites are also increasingly full, with average occupancy rising from 77% in 2022 to 95% in 2025.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, enforcement continues. Police issued 1,605 citations and made 391 arrests for encampment-related violations in 2025, compared with 1,674 citations and 196 arrests in 2023, according to auditors.<\/p>\n

Officers are supposed to tell people they can\u2019t stay in encampments, but when there\u2019s no shelter available, there\u2019s no clear answer for where people should go, Shebloski acknowledges.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where it\u2019s just kind of an open-ended thing,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a little cold to say, \u2018Hey, just get out of here, go somewhere else.\u2019 That\u2019s not what we\u2019re saying. But what we are saying is, \u2018You can\u2019t set up an encampment here in front of this particular location.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CityCity crews collect trash and debris on National Avenue during an encampment abatement. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Critics say that without enough shelter or housing, sweeps do little more than move people from block to block.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do nothing to address homelessness,\u201d said Claire Herbert, a sociology professor at the University of Oregon. \u201c(Encampments) are just going to show up somewhere else because the root cause has not been addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even if people return,\u00a0Coopersmith and Shebloski\u00a0said, regular cleanups are needed to prevent encampment conditions from becoming out-of-control or dangerous with things like bonfires, drug use or vermin attracted by food from donated meals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe proactively go in the areas that we know will become an encampment right after we leave, or a day or two,\u201d Coopersmith said. \u201cWe know if we don\u2019t go into those places regularly \u2026 then we can have something worse happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recalls one time last year when his crews paused abatements on 17th Street for one week so teams could do intensive homeless outreach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never seen that area look so destroyed, and we have never gotten so many complaints in our lives for just one single week of not doing it,\u201d Coopersmith said.<\/p>\n

Before the city clears an encampment, workers post notices giving people 24 hours to leave. On the day of the sweep, police officers accompany cleanup crews to provide security, Coopersmith said, and to help connect people to services.<\/p>\n

During one abatement last month at National Avenue and Commercial Street, where encampments are swept twice a week, two officers told people they needed to move while city crews swept up debris.<\/p>\n

\"ManoloManolo Di Pradonelli, 57, watched from his encampment on a private lot along National Avenue as a city crew collected trash and debris from nearby sidewalks during a sweep. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Workers with Urban Corps, which the city hires to conduct abatements, shoveled whatever remained \u2014 flattened cardboard, window blinds, trading cards, food containers, piles of clothes and a bag of human waste \u2014 into bins and dumped them into a garbage truck. Last year, crews disposed of 4,000 tons of material from encampments, the city\u2019s monthly reports show.<\/p>\n

Coopersmith said people living in encampments often intentionally leave behind things they no longer want. But some people have lost precious belongings to sweeps, setting them further back on a path out of homelessness.<\/p>\n

Marine veteran Manolo Di Pradonelli, who has been homeless for 10 years, said he has lost everything he owned in past sweeps, including his tent, money, clothes and his grandfather\u2019s jewelry. \u201cYou just threw away and destroyed everything I own,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Crews search for and set aside some of what\u2019s swept up \u2014 things that can\u2019t be easily replaced, or whose owners can be identified, Coopersmith said. Records show they have recovered medications, ID cards, bicycles, a wheelchair, a camcorder and a PlayStation 4.<\/p>\n

But most of what is impounded is never claimed.<\/p>\n

After crews finish collecting and sweeping debris, another crew sprays the sidewalk with disinfectant to prevent the spread of diseases.<\/p>\n

Homeless outreach workers don\u2019t accompany workers on encampment sweeps \u2014 the goal is to avoid having them associated with enforcement, city spokesperson Matt Hoffman said.<\/p>\n

\"NearNear the corner of 16th and J Street downtown, Sgt. Christopher Smith (right) and his team walk up to an encampment to inform people of a scheduled abatement. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

But some outreach workers have said they want to be kept more informed about sweeps so they can better help connect people before their encampments are cleared.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoordinating with local governments, police, environmental services and other providers before abatements occur is both effective and efficient,\u201d said Tyler Renner, spokesperson for the nonprofit People Assisting the Homeless, or PATH.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have found that at least 72 hours\u2019 notice, and ideally up to a week, leads to better outcomes, as it gives outreach teams the time to connect people to appropriate services and shelter,\u201d he added. \u201cWhen dedicated shelter beds are available for a specific encampment and immediate placement is offered, people accept the options at much higher rates.\u201d<\/p>\n

In routine policing outside of sweeps, Shebloski said officers often get to know people by name, make repeated contacts and assess their needs tied to mental health, substance use or housing. Officers are expected to \u201cget out of their cars and talk to people,\u201d he said, evaluating each situation in real time.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to abatements, officials offered few details on whether they keep track of their encounters, the services people in encampments need, why encampments reappear or whether sweeps are helping people move into shelter or housing.<\/p>\n

\"PeoplePeople hold signs in opposition to San Diego\u2019s encampment ban ahead of a vote by the San Diego City Council on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who opposed the city\u2019s encampment ban, said that gap in information is significant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf all you\u2019re doing is moving people out of the space that they are in, you\u2019re missing that opportunity to collect that information,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In some cases, the city has used state funding to conduct intensive outreach before clearing encampments.<\/p>\n

In 2024, with the help of a $3.6 million state grant, city workers spent four months working with people living along the San Diego River, offering case management and resources ahead of a cleanup. Forty-eight people moved into shelters or city-run sleeping sites and eight into longer-term housing.<\/p>\n

\"JasonJason Borja pulls out the notice of an encampment sweep that the city posted where he camps near the state Route 94 westbound freeway. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

But this kind of intensive outreach can\u2019t be done if the city provides only a 24-hour notice, said Herbert, the sociology professor.<\/p>\n

She said research shows people are more likely to accept services when outreach is coordinated in advance and when shelter is immediately available \u2014 particularly non-congregate options.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a preference for being outside,\u201d Herbert said. \u201cIt\u2019s that moving inside is not meeting their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

As crews cleaned up the block at National and Commercial last month, residents folded tarps, packed bags of belongings and dragged their tents across the street to a sidewalk that was not being cleared.<\/p>\n

They joined about two dozen homeless neighbors living in an encampment established on an unfenced lot.<\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s private property, the city can\u2019t enforce its ban there.<\/p>\n

\"SittingSitting on a private commercial lot, Manolo Di Pradonelli, 57, watched from his encampment as a city crew collects trash and debris from sidewalks. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a warm April day, bordering on hot, with the midday sun overhead. Still, Savannah Flores stays beneath…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":787010,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,1370,728,50,3549,7264,7289,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,9235],"class_list":{"0":"post-787009","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-local-news","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-san-diego","15":"tag-sandiego","16":"tag-top-stories-sdut","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa","23":"tag-watchdog"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116551532445132398","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}