San Bernardino to resume homeless encampment cleanups after agreement reached with ACLU

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- Homeless encampments in San Bernardino will once again be cleaned up but with new policies in place.

An injunction that prevented encampments from being cleared is now resolved after the city came to an agreement with homeless rights advocates.

"San Bernardino will resume with conducting encampment cleanups," Mayor Helen Tran said. "The city and the plaintiff have agreed and clarified city polices on how cleanups are conducted."

The court injunction was the result of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which accused the city of tossing out the personal property of homeless individuals.

Under the new policy agreement with the ACLU, the city will not dispose of personal property without consent. City work crews will also post multiple notices in advance of an encampment cleanups. During encampment removals, San Bernardino will also not displace people unless they offer non-congregate interim housing such as hotels.

"We're asking the city of San Bernardino to follow their values and provide safe, affordable permanent housing because we all know that permanent housing is the solution to our unhoused," said Desiree Sanchez of the ACLU of Southern California.

Resident and businesses have been urging the city to take action on the homeless crisis taking over local parks.

"As a business owner you don't want to come to your business and have to clean feces up in the morning," resident Malibu McKinnon said.

But McKinnion also understands it's a balancing act.

"You can't just shove the people out of the parks. Some of those people are there by choice and some of those people are there for financial reasons," she said.

The city has set aside a million dollars in hotel vouchers for those who want shelter.

At the end of the year, the city is anticipating the opening of a $35 million San Bernardino Wellness Campus, which will include 140 interim beds along with wrap-around services provided through Lutheran Social Services of Southern California.

"With the injunction behind us, in the coming months residents will notice a difference in our community and parks," interim city manager Rochelle Clayton said. "The city's top priority is our community's public health and safety."