Myah Hasbany
1st period
1/22/18
The Homeless encampment on the Santa Ana River in Orange County has been being cleaned out for the past few months. They started at the Pacific Ocean and moved north, cleaning out the last of the camps today. They estimated between 500 and 1,000 people live there. The homeless shelters have added 525 beds in the last year, but it hasn't done much to solve the problem. "The bottom line is the county's default solution has been to not spend money on permanent solutions … and allow these encampments to develop until they become so large and visible that they have to do something," said Eve Garrow, an analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union in Orange County. The buildup of trash and hazardous materials along with complaints from citizens also lead the cleanup. Last fall, they cleaned out 315 tons of trash, 4,600 needles and 4,000 pounds of biohazardous materials from the river.
This article was written to educate the general public about the situation in Orange County. Hopefully, this article will encourage others to support homeless outreach organizations and support the cause.
http://beta.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-santa-ana-riverbed-homeless-20180122-story.html
Historically the government has never really been strong in dealing with the constantly growing gap between the upper and lower classes, it always comes with tricky debates about the cycle of poverty and how it should be handled. There really just needs to be more focus on solutions from them, because this story of tent cities being moved and displacing tons of people is all too common in every town.
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