San Clemente, also known as “The Spanish Village by the Sea”, is a city in Southern California that lies along the Pacific Ocean. It was founded by a developer by the name Ole Hanson in 1925. The city is home to an approximate population of just above 66,000. The median age of the city is 40.1 years against the national median age of 38.2 years. 

Since it lies along the coastline, San Clemente is visually appealing. Its beautiful beaches make it a popular tourist destination. It is also a surfer’s paradise given its ideal sunny weather and the perfect waves. Its beaches are also ideal for water activities such as swimming, whale watching, fishing, beach volleyball, and so forth.

San Clemente is also known for the Spanish mansion bought by President Richard Nixon in 1969. The mansion is popularly referred to as the “Western White House”. It has held several historical meetings over the years.

Homelessness in San Clemente

Just like the rest of America, homelessness is a niggling issue to San Clemente. Even with the city’s efforts to tackle homelessness, the issue never seems to go away. The City Council of the city has spent vast sums of money on building shelters for homeless people. However, noticeable, the efforts are not enough to wish the situation away.

COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the state of homelessness in San Clemente and America in general. The pandemic has rendered many citizens jobless making it difficult for them to rent houses. This situation has thrown fireworks into the already dire situation.

Residents of San Clemente Want Action Towards the Homeless Population

Early in the year, the residents of San Clemente demanded action taken against the growing homeless population. According to the residents, providing campsites alone isn’t enough. They proposed the provision of health care services and permanent structures, not tents.

Barely after establishing a campsite in Avenida Pico, the City Council closed it again after about six months citing financial reasons. The city has not announced new plans for the homeless population. Many homeless people believe that the city is not doing much to help them.

Homeless Encampments

Homelessness is a complex societal problem. It affects everyone, including those that do not have much to offer to alleviate the problem. The issue is never solved with finality by the responsible agencies. This means the issue gets more prominent and sophisticated by the day. With growing homelessness, crops the issue of a homeless encampment. 

What are homeless encampments? They are temporal establishments by a group of people in unauthorized areas such as subway tunnels, sidewalks and street parking. The establishments of homeless encampments take many forms. These include makeshift tents and shacks from scavenged materials. It is worth noting that an establishment by a single person does not amount to a homeless encampment. 

The relationship between the community and the homeless encampments takes various forms. Some communities may want homeless establishments to be formalized. Others call on authorities to sweep away these establishments. After sweeping, what is left is an unpleasant sight. 

Homeless Encampment Cleanup

Homeless encampments are not only a danger to those living in them but also to the surrounding premises. Why? You may ask. Apart from odor, there is a high likelihood of biohazard waste. In a homeless camp, you might find biohazard waste such as:

  • Animal waste
  • Human waste
  • Drug paraphernalia such as needles 
  • Blood and body fluids in case there was a crime committed

The above biohazard wastes are a health hazard. How so? You can contaminate deadly disease if you get exposed to infected materials. Exposure to contaminated blood and sharp materials can lead to infection of diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C. 

Also, exposure to animal wastes, especially rodents is risky. Actually, deadly. Many people do not know that contaminated rodent waste can lead to dangerous viruses such as Hantavirus. Surprising, right?

Due to the hazardous nature of homeless encampments, you shouldn’t attempt to do cleanup if you do not have the prescribed training by OSHA. In that case, involve professional companies like Eco Bear that are specialized in homeless encampment cleanup.

How Homeless Encampment Cleanup Is Done

A lot goes during homeless encampment cleaning. Alongside the removal process, clean up companies handle processes such as waste profiling, decontamination and site restoration. At Eco Bear, all our employees are trained to handle such situations. With strict observance of OSHA guidelines, we ensure the safety of you and that of our staff.

Because of the risk of biohazard waste, we offer our staff specialized gear for safety. To safely clean up a homeless encampment site you need the following personal protective equipment:

  • Gloves
  • Masks
  • Goggles
  • Protective outer clothing, such as a smock or apron

The above is not enough. You should ensure that your team is well-trained, certified and medically surveyed to perform a safe and efficient cleanup.

Due to the apparent danger of biohazard waste, restoration of a homeless encampment into a useable state requires biohazard remediation. This process involves three vital stages of cleanup, sanitization and restoration.

Human Touch

Being homeless is an unfortunate situation despite the reason. Homeless people still need handling humanely. At Eco Bear, it is not all about cleanup. We are compassionate. It is for this reason we work closely with businesses and municipalities to give notice in advance to persons living in homeless encampments before cleanup is done. The notice gives them ample time to salvage personal belongings.

Professional Cleaners In San Clemente

Are you in San Clemente and in need of homeless encampment cleanup services? Contact us at Eco Bear. We offer homeless encampment services along sidewalks, under bridges, in trash sites, behind buildings and in abandoned houses. Our services are 7 days a week.