Wymore Road Homeless Encampment Cleanup

There is no denying that Humboldt County has a homeless problem and recently Humboldt County Roads Division was tasked with having to clean up an encampment on Wymore Road in Arcata. A sizable encampment built over the last few months had become not only an eyesore but an environmental hazard due to the level of trash and biohazards in the area. The Roads Division enlisted the services of a local company that has taken a different approach on how to help manage homeless encampments. On clean up day, Humboldt County Roads representatives had a chance to document the work and talk with John Shelter, owner of New Directions.

John started New Directions in 2008 working with local business owners and municipalities. New Directions is focused on cleaning up encampments and offering assistance to the homeless in hopes of turning their lives around. John can relate to the homeless population as he was in the same position at one time. After making changes in his situation, John was determined he would direct his life to helping the homeless.  John’s business philosophy is to interact with the homeless in a proactive, positive approach while following all the necessary legal steps.

When a site is designated for cleanup, legal notices are posted 72 hours in advance in front of each encampment and makes personal contact with each individual to earn their trust and to discuss options and assistance available for them.  John encourages them to seek help and even offer to put them through his training program and offer them a job. On the day of the cleanup, John’s crews begin the arduous task of sorting through trash and belongings. Items of value are bagged up and stored up to 3 months for owners to retrieve them. During the days and weeks following a cleanup, New Directions crews will patrol the area and discourage resettlement. John states that he has about a 50% success rate in either transitioning people back to their families or into a sustainable life off the streets.

While we were standing with John, a man rode up on a bicycle and the two began talking. They addressed each other by name and were respectful to each other. The man asked John for another half an hour to finish bagging his stuff, he promised to be done soon. John very politely told him sure. A woman living on Wymore Road had built a sizable campsite and was struggling to get things together. John told her “I understand you want to take everything with you but there is so much junk you just need to get what you can.” John gave her a little more leeway but was firm with her and told her to finish.

A few days later we met with John again on Wymore Road. It had been raining over the weekend and that morning it was on the verge of snowing.  John stated “We got this done just in time. The whole area is flooded now and it would have been impossible to clean out today.” The area has been completely transformed. “What was slated to be possibly a 2 day job was completed in 7 ½ hours thanks to the County bringing in their big dump trucks and loaders,” said John.

John’s approach to help with the homeless situation has caught the attention of other agencies. Humboldt County Roads Division has contracted with New Beginnings to continue working with the homeless in the County. New Beginnings has also been contracted by Caltrans to help clear out the overpasses in Humboldt County and hopes to expand soon to neighboring counties. John envisions sharing his techniques with other groups and people who want to help decrease homelessness.