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Homelessness is an ongoing problem in Los Alamitos, CA. The recent events in 2020 have only exacerbated the problem. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of people to lose their jobs or have their hours or pay cut, so they can’t afford their home or apartment. Homeless shelters reduced their capacity in order to maintain social distancing, and there just aren’t enough public funds for alternate shelters. This leads to homeless individuals and families looking for other places to stay. A homeless encampment is a collection of makeshift shelters. You might hear an encampment described as a “tent city,” but the shelters aren’t necessarily made of tents. When law enforcement arrives and evicts the occupants of a homeless encampment in Los Alamitos, there’s a lot of debris left in the area. Eco Bear is an experienced professional cleaning service offering homeless encampment cleaning in Los Alamitos and the surrounding area.
What a Homeless Encampment Is
A homeless encampment is a gathering of multiple unrelated homeless individuals or families. They create temporary shelters out of found materials or tents. The encampment is typically hidden from street view, but it may be visible from a parking lot, storage yard or other area. Some homeless encampments are dense and occupy just a few hundred square feet. Others can be vast, and there could be hundreds of occupants in the encampment. Once law enforcement is notified of the encampment, they arrive at the scene and disperse the occupants. The occupants are only given a few moments to collect their belongings. Since most people can only take what they’re able to carry or push away in a cart, a lot of items are left behind.
Types of Hazards Found in Homeless Encampments
Homeless encampments don’t have plumbing systems. The site will have human waste strewn about, which creates a serious risk of spreading infectious diseases. E. coli, salmonella and C. diff are a few infections spread by contact with feces.
Blood and vomit are also common in homeless encampments. Some dangerous blood-borne pathogens include hepatitis B and C and HIV. There may also be items contaminated by blood or vomit in a homeless encampment. These items require special care and proper disposal in accordance with California public health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policies. Our Eco Bear cleaners know these rules and follow them to keep your property safe and free of germs.
Homeless encampments may also contain medications and drugs. Drug paraphernalia may be at the site. We notify law enforcement and arrange for proper removal and disposal of these hazards.
Some other hazards that may be present in a homeless encampment:
- Bottles and broken glass
- Fuel, matches and lighter fluid
- Rotted food
- Animal feces and deceased pets
- Illegal wiring and connections
Why You Shouldn’t Clean a Homeless Encampment Yourself
A large amount of debris may be left at a homeless encampment. The sheer volume could make it difficult for one person or a few untrained people to safely and properly dispose of the material. The hazards at a homeless encampment make it risky to your health and safety, especially if you don’t have the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitation supplies. The amount of physical effort required to haul items off the site is too much for one person. If you’re a business owner, having your untrained employees clean the debris puts you at risk of liability if one of them is injured or becomes ill afterward. Most people aren’t trained with how to use the PPE or hospital-grade cleaning agents necessary for dealing with the hazards at a homeless encampment.
What Makes Eco Bear the Right Choice for Homeless Encampment Cleaning
At Eco Bear, we offer a rapid response time when you contact us to clear a homeless encampment from your commercial, industrial or residential property. If you’re facing a deadline from code enforcement, we’ll make sure your property is cleared before the deadline passes. We prevent you from facing fines or penalties from the debris left at a homeless encampment.
Our attention to detail also makes us the right choice for Los Alamitos homeless encampment cleaning. We leave no piece of debris or trace of the homeless encampment on the premises. Our multi-step process includes full remediation of the site. We’re licensed and bonded for complete homeless encampment cleaning, sanitation and restoration in California. Another advantage of choosing Eco Bear is our trustworthiness. We maintain your privacy and treat you and your property with respect. If you have questions about our processes, ask any time.
About Our Homeless Encampment Cleaning Services in Los Alamitos
Once law enforcement evicts the homeless encampment occupants, the responsibility to clean the site is yours. As soon as the site is turned over to you, it’s time to call us at Eco Bear to arrange Los Alamitos homeless encampment cleaning. We arrive on scene as quickly as possible. Our initial assessment allows us to plan for the correct size of cleaning crew and the right number of dumpsters for hauling away the debris. It also allows us to plan for proper removal of biological, medical and chemical hazards. Some of the types of homeless encampments we clean include those on single-family properties, apartment communities, commercial areas and industrial and warehouse properties.
We’re able to clear most homeless encampments in Los Alamitos within one or two days of getting started. When we finish, there will be no sign that a homeless encampment was ever there. We’ll provide you with full documentation of our services for your legal and insurance records. Our skilled cleaners treat you and your property with respect. You can count on us for thorough, affordable and reliable homeless encampment cleaning in Los Alamitos.
