The massive homeless encampment in state freeway right-of-way along the transition from southbound Highway 99 to the 120 Bypass is going away.
On Wednesday, the Manteca Police Department announced that the City of Manteca would be partnering with Caltrans to close an encampment along the transition onto the bypass from traffic approaching from the southbound lanes of Highway 99 – citing safety concerns and an excessive amount of trash and debris as the reason behind the effort.
What remains of the encampment will be dismantled and removed by work crews on May 23.
In order to comply with legal mandates Caltrans must post notice that the illegal encampment will be cleared at least 72 hours before the work is set to begin – giving unsheltered individuals the opportunity to clear their personal belongings and take advantages of services that are being provided by the City of Manteca and non-profit groups in the community.
“Homelessness continues to be a top priority for City Council and staff. As a City, we are committed to addressing this complex societal issue by providing services to the unsheltered individuals in our City and conducting regular cleanups,” Manteca Mayor Ben Cantu said in a statement. “We are thankful to the organizations that are on the frontlines to care for our City’s most vulnerable each day.”
The area that will be targeted in the cleanup has been visited every Tuesday by an outreach team – comprised of the Manteca Police Department, San Joaquin County Mental Health, CareLink, and local churches – that aims to provide services such as shelter opportunities, medical services, documentation assistance, reunification with families, shower and hygiene supplies and opportunities, and possibly even meals at the emergency shelter.
The City of Manteca and Inner City Action – both of whom are operating the emergency shelter – will be at the site once the closure goes into effect to provide services and transportation to the emergency shelter if necessary.
As part of its commitment towards managing the issue with the unsheltered in the community, the City of Manteca is currently in the process of developing the Manteca Navigation Center on S. Main Street. With $2 million in funding from San Joaquin County, Manteca has plans to turn the 8-acre site into a mixed-use facility consisting of the homeless navigation center, transitional housing, as well as an affordable housing complex or possibly a new police station depending upon council direction.
“The City is committed to maintaining its partnership with organizations and agencies across the County to provide emergency shelters, transitional housing, group homes and other facilities to make progress toward long-term solutions to the homeless crisis,” Manteca’s Interim City Manager Toni Lundgren said in a statement.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
