CHULA VISTA, Calif. — San Diego police started enforcement of the Unsafe Camping Ordinance in Balboa Park. Since then, several people experiencing homelessness have moved to neighboring cities like Chula Vista.
Nonprofit leaders in the South Bay said organizations can’t keep up with the demand and are forced to turn people away.. Chula Vista-based Community Through Hope, a local nonprofit aiding unsheltered people, is one of them according to the organization's executive director Sebastian Martinez.
“We were already servicing so many folks when it was just people local to South Bay.”
CTH offers food, shelter and a cooling space for unsheltered people. However, Martinez said, food donations that usually last a week have flown off the shelves within days.
“Today at 12, we had to stop lunch because we ran out of food.”
Martinez has noticed the lack of resources is already affecting the vulnerable population. He said he fears not having enough services or shelters in Chula Vista.
Unsheltered San Diegans have started to migrate to other cities as local law enforcement cracks down on encampments. Some, like Charles, used to live downtown. But now that the ban has gone into effect, he said he's been lost on where to go.
“It’s kind of hard out here,” said Charles.
WATCH RELATED: Homeless advocates fear the city's 'Unsafe Camping Ordinance' will push the problem elsewhere
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