Benchlands residents react to closure and move to River Street
The Benchlands homeless camp is being cleared out on Wednesday, and San Lorenzo Park is opening to normal public activity on Thursday.
Santa Cruz is opening up the new River Street Emergency Transition camp for qualified Benchlands residents, and is equipped with showers, bathrooms, security, and employment help.
Multiple homeless people tell KION they are excited about the move. “The beginning of the beginning. A new beginning, hopefully,” Mark Hemersbach said.
Allissa Jaime has called the Benchlands home for just a month, but has seen enough. “There’s a lot of people here, and you don’t know their backgrounds or anything.”
The Santa Cruz Police Department is trying to get rid of that problem for the River Street camp. “If you’re a wanted person or have stolen property or a weapon, we are going to take you to jail. This is not a free for all zone,” Santa Cruz Police Chief, Andrew Mills, said.
More than security, people are ready for a transition out of these camps. “Transition us into housing, back into society. housing, jobs, training,” Jaime said. Hemersbach tells us he ready to “being back to being busy and make a buck.”
Not everyone is thrilled with the decision to shut down the Benchlands. A few people told KION they don’t want to leave, but they didn’t wish to speak any further.
