"On a soggy morning in Gilroy, Greg Porter lifts his cat and puts her inside the tent where he lives to protect her from the rain. The drops pattering on his tarp mark the first signs of the rainy season as he ducks into the flap and pulls out a multicolored flyer with bold red capital letters: VACATE. Like many others in Gilroy,"
"While advocates for the unhoused maintain that the managed encampments served as key tools for providing services and limiting pollution, Valley Water officials assert they have become sites of serious safety concerns. Now, the over 50 residents of the encampments face an uncertain future, and the closure could have ripple effects in a city with arguably one of the worst homelessness problems in the Bay Area. I don't know what a lot of these people are going to do, said Porter."
"In recent years, Valley Water began a program like a roadside trash service residents would put out trash in bags, and the agency would collect it in an effort to limit pollution in the waterways. Early this year, Valley Water began managing the encampments more actively offering portable toilets at both sites, but also imposing rules and limitations for those who live there, and removing those who violated the rules."
Greg Porter has lived at a Santa Clara Valley Water District encampment in Gilroy since 2015 and keeps his cat in his tent to protect her from rain. Valley Water is closing the two largest encampments on its land, ending a managed program that provided trash collection, portable toilets, and rule enforcement. Advocates say the managed encampments reduced pollution and connected residents to services. Valley Water officials cite growing safety concerns. More than 50 residents now face displacement and uncertainty. The closures could worsen conditions in Gilroy, which has one of the Bay Area’s largest unhoused populations.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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