The homeless are on the move again after the landowners of the
dirt lot adjacent to Jerry’s Restaurant asked for their removal.
The owners gave the homeless four days over the July 4 weekend to
find a new home.
The homeless are on the move again after the landowners of the dirt lot adjacent to Jerry’s Restaurant asked for their removal. The owners gave the homeless four days over the July 4 weekend to find a new home.
“Here we go again,” Homeless Shelter Manager Cindy Parr said after being told by police.
The homeless received the warning July 2 from the Hollister Police Department and they were told to be out of the area or they would be arrested, Parr said.
The homeless had called the lot next to Jerry’s Restaurant home for nearly three months – a long time for the homeless. Usually the homeless will rotate through spots during the duration of the summer, never staying in a spot for a long time.
At the Jerry’s location the homeless set up four tents that housed up to eight people.
The move wasn’t unexpected for the homeless, after hearing complaints from people in the community and being warned that they would eventually be moved.
City Enforcement Office Mike Chambless had tried to get a hold of the landowners for some time, but had the wrong address, he said.
When the city finally contacted the owners they asked for the homeless to be removed, Parr said.
If Chambless and the city couldn’t get a hold of the landowners, they would have sent a 30-day notice to the homeless to vacate the property.
“They are going to have to leave at some point,” Chambless said a week before the homeless removal.
Parr said she would help them find a new place to stay and equip them with their rights.
According to Parr, the homeless have the right to sleep in an area that doesn’t block a doorway or walkway.
“I’m going to equip the homeless,” she said. “We are preparing for battle.”
The homeless are sent out into the streets every year after the shelter closes due to the migrant worker population. Homeless task force advocates have been pushing for a permanent, year-round shelter, but there is no funding for it.
