A homeless camp in the southwest area of Merced will be cleared in the coming months because Merced Irrigation District crews need to perform flood-prevention work, district leaders said Friday.
Some homeless advocates had been under the impression the district had little interest in moving the homeless people, possibly because of the publicity it would bring.
This week, however, word spread that MID plans to clear the camp for work that needs to be done this summer. "They're in harm's way," MID board President Tim Pellissier said. "They need to move."
The plan again raises the specter of where the few dozen people living along Black Rascal Creek will go. The county homeless shelter is full most nights and paroled sex offenders aren't allowed to stay there. With no other options, they stay along the creek in a small colony.
Calls to MID's general manager, Dan Pope, were not returned. Officials with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had not heard of MID's plans.
Pope, according to minutes from a June 2 meeting, told the board that district staff posted no trespassing signs and was working with city officials because of concerns about public safety and water safety.
Pellissier, along with board member Jack Hooper, said the camps need to be cleared by August so crews can clear brush along the creek. The camps there also pose a risk for water contamination, Hooper said.
He worried about the camps growing and becoming legitimized by people bringing in Dumpsters and portable toilets. "The next thing we might have to do is charge them rent," he said.
Where to house homeless sex offenders on parole -- who must be far from parks, schools and churches -- is a difficult problem for the state, city and county, Hooper said.
"I don't think it's up to MID to solve the homeless problem. We've got enough problems supplying the water," he said.
Earlier this month, the parolees at the camp had been asked to move by the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation because they were trespassing on what was believed to be railroad land.
They set up camp beneath a Highway 99 overpass for a weekend before the department reversed course after learning the land belonged to MID.
While the state puts some of the most dangerous sex offenders in rehabilitation homes, there's not enough money for everyone.
Those with nowhere to go often end up along the creek, since it's close to the parole office and far enough from restricted areas.
Renee Davenport, one of the homeless advocates who often lobbies on behalf of the people along Black Rascal Creek, is frustrated that the homeless will be told to move but have nowhere to go.
Davenport has heard few details about MID's plan and wants to know if they'll give the homeless people warnings.
"(MID) should do it in a way that's orderly and shows some compassion to these people," she said. "It's just common courtesy you'd show to any individual."
She's working to get a meeting between City Manager John Bramble, MID's general manager and the various homeless advocates so options can be discussed.
Reporter Scott Jason can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or sjason@mercedsun-star.com.
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