The homeless are making themselves right at home in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.City officials from Modesto to Stockton as well as Caltrans report an upswing in homeless encampments. It reflects similar trends in the Bay Area as well.On Wednesday morning in Manteca a homeless man who joined forces with three of his peers to file a federal suit alleging the City of Manteca is violating their civil rights, was blocking part of the sidewalk with his multi-level cart in the 1200 block of East Yosemite where he was using propane and a skillet to prepare his breakfast just yards away from the McDonald’s drive-thru lane.Across town over the sound wall from the costliest apartments in Manteca at Paseo Villas where a 747-square-foot one-bedroom unit rents for $1,147 a month, a homeless encampment has popped up in the right-of-way along the 120 Bypass just days after other encampments had been cleared out by Caltrans.Issues with homeless dumpster diving or seeking trash enclosures for shelter at night is prompting Manteca to spend $39,000 to place a canopy over such an enclosure at the Manteca Transit Center while leaving an 8-inch gap between the roof and wall for ventilation.The City Council at today’s mid-year budget workshop, at Mayor Steve DeBrum’s request, will discuss security at the transit station. The canopy covered parking areas at the Moffat Boulevard facility provides daytime parking for the homeless that live in their vehicles.It’s been 18 months since the city — led by Police Chief Nick Obligacion — has been trying to coordinate efforts to help the homeless that want to get off the street as well as addressing those that are homeless that break laws.To date, the chief said six homeless have either gotten off the street for good or are going through programs to help them do so.He noted his officers routinely make homeless aware of options that are available to them.