Berkeley clears Aquatic Park homeless encampments
"For the first time in months, Aquatic Park is now entirely encampment-free," the city said. Eight people agreed to move into motels.
A weeks-long cleanup effort at Berkeley's Aquatic Park saw eight people move into motels and the complete removal of area homeless encampments Wednesday, the city reports.
Berkeley's Neighborhood Services division — part of the city manager's office — has been at work for three weeks, the city said, doing outreach to encourage encampment residents to accept shelter or move.
"For the first time in months, Aquatic Park is now entirely encampment-free," the city told TBS on Wednesday, calling the operation "a great example of what the Homeless Response Team can do with the right resources and the right opportunity."
In the end, the city said, eight people accepted short-term motel stays (up to 28 days), which are billable to Alameda County.
Three people who had been staying in tents left voluntarily, as did the occupants of three vehicles, the city said.
One unoccupied vehicle was towed "in compliance with no parking signage that had been placed to ensure full access to the entire right-of-way for the cleanup."
Aquatic Park before and after this week's encampment closure. City of Berkeley
The operation included the parking lot and streets leading to the south entrance of Aquatic Park.
The city used an annual grant from Alameda County to pay for short-term winter shelter motel vouchers, a spokesman said.
In addition to the five-person Homeless Response Team, Public Works, Berkeley police and Parks, Recreation & Waterfront staffers worked together on the project.
Read more about homeless camps in Berkeley.
The city also coordinated with Union Pacific Railroad to address parts of the encampment that were within the railroad right-of-way.
On Wednesday morning, a reader who lives in the neighborhood alerted The Scanner to the cleanup effort, asking for more details.
"It’s great to see the city doing what’s needed here to keep Aquatic Park safe and accessible for everyone," he said.
The Scanner received no other inquiries or complaints about the cleanup effort.
