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The number of homeless people is increasing in Villa Park, CA, and the surrounding areas. When homeless people gather in a single place, this is a homeless encampment. Some people might call it a “tent city.” A homeless encampment is several individuals or families who have created makeshift shelters on a property. Sometimes, homeless encampments have hundreds of occupants. When law enforcement evicts the occupants of a homeless encampment, a lot of debris can be left at the site. The homeless encampment is a hazard for people, the environment and animals. Eco Bear is a professional homeless encampment cleaning company offering services to Villa Park home and business owners. Our experience, training and skills make us the right choice for homeless encampment cleaning in Villa Park.
What a Homeless Encampment Is
A homeless encampment is a collection of makeshift shelters occupied by homeless people, families and their pets. When the people are removed from the property by local law enforcement, they only have a few minutes to gather their belongings. Most of the items will be left at the site. This results in a large mess. A homeless encampment isn’t just an eyesore. It contains many hazards that could impact your health, safety and well-being. Some homeless encampments are hundreds of yards long, while others are smaller and more concentrated.
Types of Hazards in a Homeless Encampment
Homeless encampments aren’t connected to sanitary water or sewer systems. Because of this, human waste is a common problem in homeless encampments. The sites may also contain feces from the pets of homeless people. Blood, vomit and other body fluids may also be at the site. Feces, vomit, blood and body fluids can contain infectious bacteria, viruses and parasites. Many of these organisms can survive on surfaces and in soil for 10 days or longer. If you attempt to clean this hazard yourself without the proper training or personal protective equipment, you could become infected with a dangerous pathogen.
Another common hazard in homeless encampments is drug paraphernalia. Used syringes and needles, works and more can be strew about a homeless encampment. There may be illegal drugs left at the site, too. The used drug paraphernalia could spread hepatitis B and C, HIV and other infections.
Broken glass, weapons, rotted food and combustible materials are often present in homeless encampments. Garbage, rotted wood, building materials and more are also present in large quantities. It would be nearly impossible for a home or business owner to deal with this kind of debris without professional help.
How a Homeless Encampment Affects Your Safety
When there’s a homeless encampment on your property, you can’t fully use the property because of the hazards. If you have pets or children, you may fear allowing them outdoors. Occupants of homeless encampments may have drug or alcohol abuse or other mental health disorders. Your home and nearby homes are at a higher risk of burglary and vandalism by homeless encampment occupants in search of money, salable items and drugs. Commercial properties are also at risk of burglary, vandalism and damage. Customers may be afraid to visit a business if there’s a homeless encampment on the property. Property insurance rates may go up due to the risks presented by the homeless encampment.
Impacts of Homeless Encampments on Neighborhoods
Human and animal waste left at homeless encampments is an environmental risk. Leftover illegal drugs can also contaminate the soil and water at the site. People may not want to live in a neighborhood with an active homeless encampment or the debris from one. Property values can go down, and criminality can go up. The trash left behind is unsightly and creates an eyesore. When people see the mess, they may assume it’s an undesirable place to live and work.
Why Professional Homeless Encampment Cleaning Is Essential
The amount of debris at a homeless encampment is large. With so many hazards, it’s not safe for an untrained person to deal with it. Eco Bear’s trained and skilled cleaners have the expertise to handle this type of cleanup. If you’ve been ordered by Villa Park to remove the debris on your private property, we offer a fast response time. This helps you avoid violations and fines associated with the nuisance.
We place safety as our top priority. Our cleaners wear full personal protective equipment, including face masks and shields, goggles, suits or aprons and boots or shoe coverings. This keeps our team members safe. By properly removing and disposing of hazards in a homeless encampment, we restore safety to your property. Once all the debris is gone, you can use the property as desired or even set up a fence in order to prevent a new homeless encampment.
What Makes Eco Bear the Right Choice for Homeless Encampment Cleaning in Villa Park
Eco Bear is a women- and veteran-led company specializing in cleaning all types of hazards. Our expertise in dealing with the multitude of hazards at a homeless encampment makes us the right choice for Villa Park property owners. We’re knowledgeable about health and building codes, and we’ll ensure that your property is in compliance.
Our professional cleaners maintain your privacy during the cleanup. We work swiftly to get the site cleaned as quickly as possible. Our multi-step process begins with cleanup. This includes removing debris, taking down structures and disposing of trash. The second step is sanitizing or disinfecting. This requires the use of professional-grade cleaners that kill viruses, bacteria and parasites. Any items contaminated with blood or body fluids are removed as biohazardous waste and properly bagged and removed. The final step is restoration. When we’re finished, there will be no sign that a homeless encampment was ever on your private property.
