Merced County clears large homeless encampment. Over 50 people displaced
All of Nicholas Cortinaz’s belongings were sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of McDonald’s near East Childs Avenue in the southeast side of Merced on Tuesday morning.
Cortinaz, 48, had bags full of tools, clothes, blankets and other possessions that had spilled out of a bin that was tipped over.
For the past few months Cortinaz had been living in a large homeless encampment near East Childs Avenue and Highway 99, located on private property within the unincorporated area of Merced County.
On Monday, Merced County partnered with the City of Merced, CHP, Caltrans, and other nonprofit partners to remove the encampment.
As part of the cleanup, more than 60 vacated structures and several tons of trash were removed by heavy machinery operated by the Merced County Sheriff’s Office and Merced Department of Public Works, according to Merced County spokesperson Mike North.
There were still some cleanup being done on Tuesday and members of law enforcement were stationed near access roads to prevent people from returning to the location.
Cortinaz wasn’t sure where he would go next.
“I have no idea,” said Cortinaz, who says he has been homeless since 2012. “I’m going to try to find somewhere where I can be left alone. That’s all I want. I thought we were doing all right. We had to where nobody was stealing, there was nobody beating anyone up, no fighting. It was cool.”
Merced County officials have put an emphasis on cleaning up homeless encampments, North said
“When you look at them, they’re totally unsafe, unsanitary, totally unacceptable,” he said. “And this one, it’s right off Highway, 99 so what’s really unfortunate is, as people are driving through Merced, maybe they’re not stopping in Merced, because they’re seeing this.”
North said the people living in the encampment were given advanced notice that it would be torn down. They also were provided information about the different services available to them, including shelter services, transitional and supportive housing, mental health services, food and welfare services and employment services.
Extra beds were made available at shelters with the planned cleanup at this encampment, according to North.
“There was more than 50 people living out there, and the majority of them expressed interest in services, and several of them have been moved into shelters,” North said. “There are a lot of beds taken up in there, but we made sure that some were available just for this cleanup in particular.”
Michael Bell, 43, was also living in the encampment.
“I’ve been forced to move a lot, sometimes twice in a month,” Bell said. “This time I lost most of my clothing. I don’t have any clothing left. They left me with a bag that had my blankets, a rug and my tent.”
Both Cortinaz and Bell say they were given about a week’s notice that the encampment would be torn down. Both say it’s difficult to get into shelters because they are asked to show up when the shelters open in the morning and make a phone call.
“It’s tough for us to keep our phones charged,” Bell said.
“I think it’s discrimination,” Cortinaz said. “They’re just (messing) with us because we’re homeless.”
North confirmed that transportation was provided for individuals who agreed to go to the emergency shelters.
“There are some holdouts, and those are the ones that we’re going to continue to work with to make sure we get them the services that they need,” North said. “We have everything that they need to transition from living on the streets to being in a more stabilized housing environment. That’s something that we’re going to keep focused on to help them transition into something that’s better for them and better for the community at large.”
