If you’re looking into homeless encampment cleanup in Riverside, you probably have a ton of questions. Homeless encampment cleanup is a very specific type of cleaning that requires cleaners who know exactly what they’re doing.

As the homeless situation grows throughout the state, you’re probably seeing homeless encampments everywhere you look. Homeless encampments afford their residents a sort of de facto community. Many of them live in these homeless encampments because they allow them to live around many people versus living on the streets by themselves. Most people empathize with the plight of the homeless. They understand that in many cases, homeless people are simply people that ran out of luck. Having said that, homeless encampments are not the best solution for the issue. One of the biggest reasons that they are an issue is because they’re hotspots for the spread of disease. This not only puts the homeless encampments residents at risk, but it also puts the greater community at risk.

What exactly is a homeless encampment?

A homeless encampments is a site where a group of homeless people have built up temporary housing on property they don’t own. The property in questions is usally publically owned or privately owned.

Homeless encampments can pretty much show up anywhere. They’re located under highway overpasses, beaches, public parks, hidden areas of residential neighborhoods, and pretty much anywhere that there’s space. They are illegal, so their residents don’t ask for permission to move in. They simply show up, and the residents stay put until they’re moved.

Who is responsible for cleaning homeless encampments?

The answer regarding to this question depends on where the encampment is located. If it’s located on land belonging to the city, state, or federal government, those entities are responsible for cleaning it. If they’re on privately owned land, the owners of that private property are responsible for cleaning it up.

If you’re dealing with an encampment that’s located on private property, you’ll need to contact local government in order to have the encampment residents removed. Once the encampment is cleared, whoever owns that property will be responsible for cleaning it.

Why are homeless encampments so dangerous?

Many people assume that the reason homeless encampments are so dangerous is because of the residence. In fact, many residents of homeless encampments are not necessarily dangerous. Many of them are simply people who are down on their luck. They may have lost jobs, and they are unable to secure permanent housing in the meantime. In addition to these residents, there are residents who are mentally ill, and there also residents who may be more comfortable living on the streets versus anywhere else.

Whatever the reason, homeless encampments are not a solution for homelessness.

Why are homeless encampments such a bad idea?

Homeless encampments are such a bad idea because they are extremely unsanitary. Residents don’t have any place to wash their hands, their clothes, or their cooking utensils. Because of this, there is a buildup of biohazardous waste on the site. Biohazardous waste is waste that contains pathogens. Microorganisms that cause diseases. Waste like human waste, blood, garbage, rotting food, animal waste, animal carcasses, and a host of other items that you’d find at homeless encampments are filled with pathogens. Because there’s no place to do any cleaning, people touch and retouch these items, spreading the pathogens from person to person. This is the reason that you frequently hear about disease outbreaks in homeless encampments.

Because homeless encampments are so unsanitary, disease spreads easily from person to person. Eventually, any disease outbreaks could spread beyond the encampment and into the greater community at large. Once homeless encampments have been cleared, it’s imperative that they be cleaned to remove all pathogens so that the community remains safe.

Why should you work with the homeless encampment cleanup company to clean up an encampment?

If you’re part of a residential community, you may assume that you and a group of involved citizens can do your civic good by getting together and cleaning up a homeless encampment in your area. You may look at the process the way that some people look at cleaning up a local park or cleaning up litter that’s been left on the beach.

Homeless encampments cleaning is completely different. It involves carefully removing the biohazardous and infectious waste from the site, placing it into special containers so that there isn’t any contaminant spread, and discarding of it according to state standards. The cleaning also involves using government-approved cleaners, solvents, and disinfectants to clean the space so that it’s safe for habitation and use. The average citizen doesn’t have the technical know-how or the hands-on experience necessary to properly clean homeless encampments. The ultimate goal is to make the scene safe for anyone who visits the site afterwards. Experienced cleaners know exactly how to get that done.

How exactly do homeless encampment cleaners stay safe?

Homeless encampment cleaners stay safe by wearing PPE gear that helps protect them from the substances that they’ll find at the site. Many people are completely unaware of just how filthy homeless encampments can be. Experienced biohazard cleaning companies are fully aware, and they dress accordingly.

Cleaners wear head-to-toe coveralls so that they’re fully protected from any waste that could splash onto their bodies. Drug paraphernalia is a very common type of biohazardous waste located at homeless encampment sites. Experienced cleaners wear gear like prick-proof gloves that help protect their fingers when they’re picking up items like syringes and needles.

They also protect their eyes, noses, and mouths by wearing protective gear like face shields and respirators. This helps prevent the delicate mucous membranes in these areas of the body from absorbing dangerous microscopic pathogens.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions about homeless encampment cleanup. We can help get the job done so that the area is restored to its previous state.