Homeless camp behind the San Mateo County Navigation Center cleared

Typically, encampment residents are given a week or more notice they are being displaced. During that time, the city works with the county and partnering nonprofits to ensure they can receive priority placement in an emergency shelter. 

“One of our roles is to make sure we have that availability, and we have a process where we coordinate with the county,” Chin said. 

Regardless, that process can be brutal, said Jason Pierini — a homeless San Mateo County resident who identified himself as “displaced and angry.” Pierini was not living in the Navigation Center encampment at the time, he said, but noted that the camp’s wipeout was difficult. 

“Everybody’s been displaced,” he said. “It’s not very pleasant.” 

The Redwood City Police and Public Works departments allowed encampment residents the time to take what possessions they wanted with them, Chin said, but the remaining items left behind were to be thrown away.

Both homelessness and life inside a noncongregate shelter like the Navigation Center is challenging, Pierini said. That’s made harder by what he perceives as a lack of affordable housing development in the area — and others might not have the time, energy or financial resources to empathize. 

“There’s not enough time to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes,” he said. 

LifeMoves, a nonprofit that runs the Navigation Center, was on site during the encampment closure, Public Relations Manager Maria Prato said. 

“What they essentially are doing is asking individuals if they would need any assistance, and if they are open to that, then they essentially connect them to a provider,” she said. “From there, there is an assessment, in an ideal situation, emergency housing will follow.” 

Encampments are monitored by police, who look at factors like biowaste, fires or blockages when deciding to remove them, Chin said. 

This is the first city encampment cleanup this month, although there were three in February, Chin said. Caltrans also targeted encampments in its right-of-way this month.