ESCONDIDO, Calif. — A property in Escondido that has been a nuisance for years is finally being cleaned up.
Neighbors contacted CBS 8 in April, complaining about junk on the property, disturbances, and people living there illegally.
The land off West El Norte Parkway has now been cleared and will soon be sold.
An eviction notice was posted at the site on July 11. A contractor was on the site Thursday, boarding up the main house.
“I’m just so happy. The lot is nice and clean. I can see the trees. It's beautiful,” a neighbor told CBS 8.
More than a dozen people had been living illegally on the property, both in the house and in several RVs parked on the lot.
The land fell into foreclosure in September. The U.S. Department of Urban and Housing Development (HUD) then took over as owner of the property, opening the door for eviction proceedings.
In May, there was some push back from advocates for the homeless, who protested the evictions.
“The narrative about them being a nuisance or a blight on this neighborhood, is dehumanizing and lacks compassion,” said Juliana Musheyev, with the San Diego chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), during a May news conference at the site.
Once a notice was posted, residents were given 15 days to remove their RVs and other belongings.
“I feel for those people. Obviously, homelessness is a big problem in many of our communities, especially here in California. Unfortunately, this property was owned by somebody who lost the property and HUD took the property back,” said Andrew Pomerantz, an attorney who represented HUD in the eviction case.
“This is a double whammy from both standpoints because these people were not there legally, but in addition to that, they're making all these problems and trouble and that's not good,” said Pomerantz.
The neighbors are looking forward to a new owner taking possession.
“Hopefully, somebody will make this place beautiful and safe for the neighborhood,” said one woman, who lives nearby.
Pomerantz said he expects the property to go on the real estate market soon.
Musheyev with PSL San Diego emailed CBS 8 the following statement:
"The former residents of 2135 El Norte Parkway have now been evicted. All of them are now either in jail, or homeless on the streets. They have faced constant harassment from the police and code enforcement. The City of Escondido has provided no services or alternatives to homelessness. We need more funding so that all people who can’t work or don’t make enough to afford rent can be housed. Short of that, we need to stop police harassment of homeless people and provide public restrooms, storage, safe places to park and sleep in vehicles overnight and other amenities that will make their existence more tolerable and less restricted. These are human beings. Our main message, however, is that housing should be a human right first and foremost, not a tool for profit. We call on the city of Escondido to take action and we will be at the Escondido City Council meeting on Wednesday August 10th to demand it."
WATCH RELATED: Escondido neighbors fed up with ‘squatters’ on property owned by HUD (April 2022)