**********
"Blue Bag Partnership" Link to Final Report
https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Public-Works/Forms-Documents/Press-Releases/Blue-Bag-Partnership-Pilot-Final-Report.aspx
**********
"Blue Bag Partnership" Tim's "Mark-Ups" of the Final Report
Community Homeless Camp Engagement
**********
Interview with Homeless Participants in the “Blue Bag Pilot Project”, conducted by homeless advocate Tim Waag with the nonprofit of “Hope’s Village of SLO”.
"Blue Bag Partnership" Link to Final Report
https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Public-Works/Forms-Documents/Press-Releases/Blue-Bag-Partnership-Pilot-Final-Report.aspx
**********
"Blue Bag Partnership" Tim's "Mark-Ups" of the Final Report
Ann.
I don’t expect any of this to be incorporated into the document, and all of it
is at your discretion (of course) and those of the “partners”. However, I
believe my comments to be accurate, and I believe you and I have discussed all
these points before. I do want to put this information out there for your
consumption (at least). Thanks!
Comment
Proposed Text Edit
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 1
BLUE BAG PARTNERSHIP
PILOT EFFORT
N O V E M B E R
2 0 , 2 0 1 9
C O U N T Y O
F S A N L U I S O B I S P O
Results from the 2019 Inter-Agency “Blue
Bag Partnership Pilot” Effort to Both Improved Stormwater Run-Off Quality and Increased
Sanitation at the Homeless Camps
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 2
No Changes
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 3
No Changes
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 4
The preferred solution to this situation is
to move the homeless people out of the sensitive environmental locations and
into alternative temporary or permanent housing. Given the large number of
homeless in the county and the lack of movement in this area, this is not
likely to occur any time soon. Therefore, we have thousands of homeless people
spread out over hundreds of identified homeless camps, whose garbage
accumulation continues to severely degrade the environment.
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
What is the Blue Bag Partnership?
Background
In early 2019, staff from
the City of San Luis Obispo Administrative Office and County of San Luis Obispo
(County) Social Services and Department of Public Works (Public Works) attended
a webcast hosted by the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA)
focusing on Homelessness and the Role of Stormwater Management. The webcast
included case studies from numerous jurisdictions that have worked to remediate
trash from encampments of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness.
County staff were
particularly interested in the Blue Bag Partnership, a program currently
underway in Santa Clara County that is focused on waterways near San Jose. The
Blue Bag Partnership distributes uniquely colored, durable waste disposal bags
to unsheltered residents of encampments and collects and disposes of bagged
waste. The
primary purpose of the Blue Bag Partnership at the Homeless Encampments
throughout SLO County is twofold: (1) to provide improved water quality and
pollutant load reduction; and (2) provide trash reduction through regularly
scheduled trash pickup to offset the expense of largescale waste cleanup.
The primary purpose of the Blue Bag
Partnership is to provide basic sanitation service to areas with significant
encampments and attempt to offset the expense of largescale waste cleanup and
disposal during encampment removal. While the Blue Bag Partnership
presents a short-term strategy for providing rudimentary sanitation at
encampments, it does not fully offset the expenses associated with
comprehensive cleanup and remediation of vacated encampment sites
County staff became
interested in testing the Blue Bag Partnership (Partnership) concept locally,
and in exploring ways to potentially improve upon the methods and scope of the
Partnership in Santa Clara County. The Partnership primarily involves the City
of San Jose and Santa Clara Valley Water District, and does not engage
non-profit organizations or social services groups. Following discussions with
staff at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans), and local waste management firms, it was determined
the County could improve upon the existing model by incorporating non-profit
partners and Community Action Team peace officers (CAT deputies) into the
effort.
In July 2019, County Public
Works requested permission and authorization to use funds from the Waste
Management cost center to conduct a limited 4-week Blue Bag Partnership Pilot
effort (Pilot effort) to test the concept of the Partnership. The Pilot effort
tracked several metrics to gauge the overall impact of the effort, including
the weight of waste removed and number of sharps collected for safe disposal.
This report presents a
summary of the considerations associated with establishing a Blue Bag
Partnership, the outcomes and impact of the 4-week Pilot effort, and partner
perspectives on the successes and challenges associated with the concept.
Figure 1: Bagged waste at
the encampment site prior to the Pilot effort.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 5
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
Why is the Blue Bag Partnership Necessary?
Homeless Camps Encampments in San Luis Obispo County
The San Luis Obispo County
Homeless Point-in- Time Count (PIT Count) enumerates unsheltered homeless
individuals and families, such as those sleeping outdoors, on the street, or in
parks, tents, or vehicles.
In 2019, the PIT count
surveyed approximately 1,172 1,483 unsheltered individuals experiencing
homelessness across San Luis Obispo County. The unsheltered population reported
seeking shelter in a variety of locations, including encampment areas (Figure
2).1 Encampments can be established in a variety of forms and may be comprised
of a solitary shelter occupied by one individual, or a cluster of shelters
occupied by several people.
Due to a severe lack of temporary emergency
shelters, transitional housing and permanent housing options (along with mental
health and drug addiction treatment), many homeless people in San Luis Obispo
County do not have a sheltered indoor living option. Due to a
lack of emergency shelter and housing options, many of the unsheltered people
experiencing homeless in San Luis Obispo County do not have the option of
sheltering indoors. While concerted effort is being made to expand access
to temporary shelter and permanent housing across the County, encampments will
continue to be a place of refuge for people experiencing homelessness in the
near term.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene at Encampments
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) focuses on three elements of basic sanitation as
critical to ensuring health, survival, and development. These elements include
access to clean drinking water, facilities for the safe disposal of waste
(through services such as garbage collection and wastewater treatment and
disposal), and
the ability to maintain hygienic conditions via flowing heated water for
washing and bathing, and toilet facilities.2 the ability to
maintain hygienic conditions.2 Collectively, water, sanitation, and hygiene
are referred to as WaSH services. Access to reliable WaSH services is globally
recognized as the means to reduce illness and death from disease, leading to
improved community health, poverty reduction, and socioeconomic development.3
People experiencing
homelessness are unable to access or establish reliable WaSH services as they
lack a physical address required to obtain utility services. Access to WaSH
services at shelters and public facilities may be limited by proximity to the
encampment, operational hours, and available resources. There are significant
costs and challenges associated with providing
(continued)
Figure 2: Sleeping
accommodations reported by unsheltered individuals, 2019 PIT Count.
Figure 3: An encampment
within a riparian creek corridor in San Luis Obispo County.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 6
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
(continued)
comprehensive WaSH services
to the semi-remote and temporary locations where encampments are established.
Note
regarding paragraph below: the following terms used to describe homeless are
currently considered pejorative: hobo, bum, transient, vagrant, loiterer.
Across San Luis Obispo
County, homeless
transient encampments are frequently established in the riparian
corridors of streams, creeks, and rivers (Figure 3) ), as well as under freeway and
road overpasses (Figure 4).. They are commonly located near the
bridge crossings of major roads, but also occur in more remote and secluded
areas adjacent to local waterways (Figure 4). This
is not true, IMHO: These
locations are preferable to people experiencing homelessness as the environment
of riparian areas provides privacy and a natural shelter from the elements, and
the waterway may support rudimentary hygiene. These locations are selected by the homeless
because they are hidden from view and receive less law enforcement attention
and more privacy from “prying eyes” of the general public and the land owners.
Unfortunately, these riparian areas become an actual swamp-like bog in the
rainy season months (often 4 – 6 months out of the year) and are unhealthy and
unsanitary due to flooding and thick mud.
Whatever
happened to “litter is bad”?
This
is not true, IMHO (I helped found and currently operate 2 different shower
trailers – with multiple bathrooms in each trailer – Shower the People in 5
Cities – Showers of Hope in SLO – we provide hot water showers, bathrooms,
meals, clean used clothing, underwear, socks – we have pulled up to various
homeless camps in SLO and provided “clean hot water for bathing and
consumption” via an onboard a 300 gallon fresh water tank, tankless water
heater, and complete modern bathroom facilities): While providing an adequate and reliable source of clean drinking water
to encampments for consumption and hygiene is logistically prohibitive, garbage removal services (supporting sanitation) can
be adapted to service semiremote locations and present an opportunity to
improve health outcomes for the encampment and nearby community. The Blue Bag
Partnership is a strategy that extends garbage removal services to encampments
to enhance sanitation.
Figure 4: An encampment established beneath a bridge
in San
Luis Obispo County.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 7
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
Why is it Called the Blue Bag Partnership?
IMHO,
not a “partnership” – “trash pickup” is a standard municipal service throughout
America (“San Luis Garbage” municipal waste disposal- pickup for 1 month costs
a mere $15. All these homeless people grew up housed with trash pick up). The Blue Bag Partnership describes a collaborative,
voluntary effort to promote sanitation and waste disposal using distinctive
blue colored janitorial supplies (Figure 5). The success of the Blue Bag
Partnership trash removal service reduction strategy
depends on the willingness of agency and community partners to work together
and adjust enforcement procedures and protocols to facilitate and encourage
voluntary trash removal. Again, I believe
this is just not true: Unsheltered members of the community, law
enforcement officers, non-profit partners, and municipal staff must work
together in good faith as there are no incentives offered to participants. It is clear from the post-pilot interviews with people living
at the homeless camps involved that there are substantial benefits to the
homeless camp occupants from being able to keep the trash picked up at their
illegal homeless camps, located primary on SLO city and county government
property.
Encampment Resident Partners
Engagement of unsheltered
community members is a critical element in establishing a potential
Partnership. An advocate from Hope’s Village SLO made numerous visits and
regularly met with the unsheltered occupants of the proposed Pilot site
encampment to discuss the project and gauge the willingness to participate.
Many of the unsheltered encampment occupants expressed strong enthusiasm to
participate and an eagerness to ensure the success of the Pilot effort. Word of
the potential Pilot effort circulated through the encampment area for several
weeks in advance of the effort, allowing occupants to discuss the opportunity
and encourage participation.
Law Enforcement Agency Partners
The Pilot effort involved
law enforcement representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, City of San Luis
Obispo Police Department, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife
(CDFW). Sheriff’s Office Deputies and CDFW Wardens were familiar with the Pilot
encampment and with several of the unsheltered community members residing in
the area. The primary goals of involving peace officers in the Pilot effort
were to provide security support to volunteers and to encourage unsheltered
people to engage with social services. CAT deputies from the Sheriff’s Office
and City of San Luis Obispo were engaged throughout the Pilot effort. Peace
officers did not prioritize issuing citations, checking criminal history, or
enforcing municipal codes during the Pilot effort, but resumed doing so IMMEDIATELY after the
pilot program was completed.
Non-Profit Agency Partners
Volunteers from Hope’s
Village SLO and the SLO Bangers’ syringe exchange program were vital to
fostering positive and productive interactions throughout the Pilot effort.
Early outreach by a Hope’s Village volunteer to the encampment was important
for estimating the potential participation, the amount of supplies needed, and
optimizing timing for rolloff delivery and removal. Trained volunteers from the
SLO Bangers participated in each weekly supply distribution, and were an
essential non-governmental presence throughout
Figure 5: Blue bags in use at the Pilot effort
encampment site.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 8
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
the effort. The non-profit
volunteer partners were invaluable in their ability to promote non-biased, well
informed, and professional interactions between agencies and the unsheltered
encampment occupants.
Public Agency Partners
Staff from the County, City of
San Luis Obispo, and Caltrans worked closely to coordinate funding and
logistical support for the Pilot effort. Preventing an increase in illegal
dumping at the site and ensuring safety in the nearby road right-of-way were
high priorities for public agencies involved in the effort.
The City and County were the
primary funding agencies associated with the effort, and shared coordination of
supply distribution visits, waste hauler communication, and monitoring the
conditions of the site. Caltrans provided support in monitoring the adjoining
right-of-way and removing and reporting any waste bags that were placed for
disposal.
Coordinating Resources & Establishing a
Partnership
The coordination process
began with a series of one-to-one meetings between Public Works and each
potential partner agency. These discussions were critical in identifying the
goals, resources, and constraints of each partner. As consensus formed,
meetings assembled multiple partners to outline roles and capabilities, and to
identify potential limitations or problematic outcomes. The capabilities,
concerns, and constraints of all partners were duly communicated and considered
while establishing the partnership.
Navigating Conflicting Roles as Partners
Most municipal and law
enforcement agencies have policies and procedures relating specifically to
transient encampments. These policies address a range of topics from code
enforcement (noticing) to waste removal and remediation of encampment sites. I am curious which entity opposed removing toxic trash
from the environment , which should be the primary goal of the trash pick up
program, IMHO (with improving the lot of homeless people a distant second) –
this is the only way that this program will continue to “see the light of day”
IMHO – I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE, MY FRIEND If the intent is to improve the
hygiene of the homeless, it will die a quick death, in my experience. You even
say say that yourself below – it should be the key point throughout this
report, IMHO. The Pilot effort coordination process revealed that
policies of several participating entities were in direct conflict with each
other or the broader intent of the Pilot effort. Each participating agency had
to incorporate flexibility into their policies and procedures in order to
facilitate the Pilot effort.
There were also significant
disparities in communication styles and priorities of partners involved in the
Pilot effort. Protecting local waterways
and improving community health by reducing the volume of uncontained trash were
established as the unifying goals that aligned with the mission and objectives
of all partners (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Uncontained trash at an abandoned
encampment site.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 9
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
Does This Concept Work?
The relative success of the
Blue Bag Partnership is dependent upon a wide array of factors. This section
discusses the considerations that were factored into planning the Pilot effort
that should be considered for any future efforts or program expansion.
Selecting an Encampment Site for Partnership
At the time of writing this
report, there were approximately 258 known encampment sites located throughout
county unincorporated areas (Figure 7).
Several known, long-term
encampment sites were evaluated as potential Pilot sites, with consideration
given to many characteristics of the encampments. A summary of encampment site
conditions and considerations are included in this section.
Who owns the property where the encampment is
located?
Property ownership impacts
the funding sources available for providing services, as well as the prevailing
governing codes and ordinances for the use of the site.
• Public property: owned by
a local government or public authority (City/County)
• Private property: owned by
an individual or corporation
How is the encampment accessed?
Access routes to encampments
vary by location and may utilize varying lengths of paved roads, narrow foot
paths, or unpaved access roads. Site accessibility for waste haulers, agency
partners, and unsheltered community members should all be considered. Optimal
access conditions include:
• Suitable access road(s)
for a waste hauler to deliver and remove a roll-off;
• A roll-off placement
location near established and frequently traveled foot paths to the
encampment and outside road
rights-of-way;
• A staging or parking area
for agency partners to access the site for supply distribution.
How long has the encampment
site been occupied? How many people live there?
Encampments are transient by
nature and sites may fluctuate between occupied or abandoned as conditions
change unpredictably in the surrounding area. The potential for waste
accumulation (and the need for sanitation support) increases over the duration
that an area is occupied, and in correlation with the number of unsheltered
community members residing at the site. Considerations include:
• The number of people
consistently utilizing the encampment area;
• The duration that the site
has been consistently or intermittently occupied.
Figure 7: Status of known encampment sites in
unincorporated San Luis Obispo County
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 10
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot
Effort
What is the proximity of the
encampment to partnering agencies?
The proximity of an
encampment site is an important factor in the cost of maintaining an
interagency partnership. Throughout the Pilot effort, partners visited the site
up to three times each week to monitor conditions and distribute waste
collection resources to unsheltered community members. The distance and transit
time to the encampment location factor into the overall costs and level of
effort associated with public agency support, waste hauling and disposal.
Virtually all partnering
agencies were involved in the process of selecting the encampment site for the
Pilot effort. Each of the factors noted in the previous section were
meticulously considered and discussed, as they directly correlated to the
commitment required from each partnering agency.
Measurable Outcomes and Weekly Metrics
An array of metrics were
identified at the outset of the Pilot effort that could be used to measure
outcomes. Some of the metrics were ultimately infeasible to track, but others
provide important insight into the progress and success of the Blue Bag
Partnership.
The metrics considered at
the initiation of the Pilot effort included:
• Number of Blue Bags
distributed
• Number of Blue Bags
collected/disposed
• Number of Caltrans orange
bags
collected/disposed
• Number of personal sharps
containers
distributed
• Number of personal sharps
containers
collected/disposed
• Location of Blue Bag
distribution
• Location of Blue Bag
retrieval/disposal
• Number of unsheltered
persons
participating
• Number of sharps
collected/disposed
• Volume/tonnage of waste
removed
The established Blue Bag
Partnership in Santa Clara County does not track any of the metrics listed
above and does not include an effort to segregate sharps from the waste stream.
While the structure of the program in Santa Clara County requires less agency
involvement, the lack of tracking impedes assessing the impact of the effort.
The Pilot effort utilized
specially marked bags and sharps containers (Figure 8) to distinguish supplies
distributed by the Pilot effort from others already in the field and facilitate
tracking of the efforts impact. The approach for the Pilot effort ultimately
prevented measurement of the number of participants and number of bags that
were used for waste disposal. However, tracking the volume of supplies
distributed (bags and sharps containers), number of sharps collected/disposed,
and weight/volume of waste removed each week allows for an evaluation of the
Pilot effort impact each week and overall.
Figure 8: Sample of a marked personal sharps disposal
container.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 11
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
The 4-Week Pilot Effort Near San Luis Obispo
Following extensive
outreach, collaboration, and planning, the 4-week Pilot effort commenced at a
creekside encampment near San Luis Obispo on September 9, 2019. The Pilot site
was estimated to have 15- 30 occupants, many of whom had been present at the
location for 6 months or longer. The Pilot site was located on publicly owned
property within 20 minutes drive time from partnering agency headquarters.
Week 1
Week 1 of the Pilot effort
included a high level of outreach and monitoring at the site. An intensive
schedule of site monitoring was incorporated to facilitate a timely response to
any unexpected events. The Week 1 schedule included the tasks outlined in Table
1.
Table 1: Pilot Effort Week 1 Schedule
Due to a miscommunication
between agencies, many encampment occupants were issued a notice to vacate the
site three days before the Pilot effort commenced. Issuing notices to vacate
public property is an established policy of the City of San Luis Obispo,
however, it was uncertain how the noticing would impact the willingness of the
encampment occupants to participate in the Pilot effort. City staff agreed to
delay enforcing the notices while the Pilot effort was underway.
During the Monday supply
distribution, encampment occupants were provided with marked blue waste bags
and notified that a roll-off would be present for trash disposal from Tuesday
to Thursday.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 12
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
SLO Bangers volunteers
provided personal sharps disposal containers and notified recipients that containers
could be returned for disposal during their Wednesday night operating hours, or
during the following week’s Monday supply distribution. Encampment occupants
were also notified that a secure, durable, sharps disposal box would be
installed near the site (Figure 9). During the Week 1 supply distribution SLO
Bangers volunteers assisted encampment residents with removing 25 uncontained
sharps from the field.
The need to adapt to
unexpected outcomes was apparent by Tuesday afternoon, when a site monitoring
visit revealed the roll-off was already filled (Figure 10). Agency
representatives quickly coordinated removal and delivery of a new empty
roll-off on Wednesday morning, and organized additional outreach to notify the
encampment. Within the first 24 hours of access to a roll-off container,
approximately 1.56 tons of accumulated trash was removed from the encampment
for disposal. The roll-off container was exchanged with a new empty container
that allowed the unsheltered residents of the encampment to dispose of another
1.59 tons over the next 24 hours.
Over the course of 48 hours,
approximately 3.15 tons of waste was voluntarily collected and disposed of by
the encampment.
The Thursday afternoon
supply distribution was conducted by a smaller field team and was agreed to be
minimally effective. Many members of the encampment were off-site, and others
were confused by distribution of supplies several days in advance of the next
roll-off arriving.
Throughout the week agency
representatives monitored the condition of the adjacent road right-of-way for
any signs of illegal roadside dumping. The property beyond the encampment area
was also monitored for traffic entering for the purpose of illegal dumping.
Although there was no evidence of illegal dumping during Week 1, this
monitoring continued throughout the Pilot effort.
Again,
just a note. I don’t expect this to be incorporated into the document.
Week 1 Summary Metrics
Blue Bags Distributed 73
bags
Sharps Containers
Distributed 23 containers
Sharps Collected for
Disposal 25 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill
3.15 tons
Figure 9: 20cy roll-off,
filled within 6
hours of delivery to the
site.
Figure 10: Centralized,
secure sharps
disposal box installed
onsite.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 13
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
Week 2
The scope of the field
outreach effort and site monitoring were significantly reduced during Week 2
based on the experience gained during Week 1. A larger capacity roll-off was
requested, and only one supply distribution was conducted. I am
curious what exactly was the experience gained during week 1 that resulted in
less outreach and site monitoring? Was it just that it went well, in general?
Table 2: Pilot Effort Week 2 - 4 Schedule
During the Monday supply
distribution, the field team noticed several blue bags in use for trash
collection around the encampment, and a pile of bagged waste staged near the
roll-off drop location (Figure 11). A small group of encampment occupants
requested extra bags and sharps containers to distribute to others in the
encampment who weren’t present for the supply distribution.
The SLO Bangers volunteers
collected three personal sharps containers (containing 150 sharps) for disposal
(Figure 12). An additional three marked sharps containers were returned to the
SLO Bangers during their weekly Wednesday hours (containing 120 sharps).
The larger capacity roll-off
was sufficient for the twoday duration on site and allowed the encampment
residents to dispose of 1.49 tons of waste. Staff continued to monitor the
condition of the roll-off, the property, and road right-of-way throughout the
week. No signs of illegal dumping were observed.
Schedule Task Number of
Staff
Monday (afternoon)
Distribute bags and sharps
containers, alert
encampment of roll-off
delivery.
1 field team, 4-5 agency
representatives
Tuesday (morning) Roll-off
delivery to site. No agency representatives
Tuesday (afternoon)
Check capacity of roll-off
and condition of road
right-of-way.
1-2 agency representatives
Wednesday (afternoon)
Check capacity of roll-off
and condition of road
right-of-way.
1-2 agency representatives
Thursday (morning) Scheduled
roll-off removal. No agency representatives
Friday (afternoon) Check
condition of road right-of-way. 1-2 agency representatives
Week 2 Summary Metrics
Blue Bags Distributed 25
bags
Sharps Containers
Distributed 10 containers
Sharps Collected for
Disposal 270 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill
1.49 tons
Figure 11: Bagged waste
staged near
the roll-off location ahead
of Week 2.
Figure 12: Sharps containers
returned in the field during
Week
2 of the Pilot effort.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 14
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
Week 3
The field team members of
the Blue Bag Partnership agreed that the Week 2 field schedule was optimal and
continued that schedule through Week 3 and Week 4. The overall condition
volume of trash at the homeless camp had of the
encampment had improved been reduced noticeably by the beginning of Week
3. Several areas that had been used for depositing waste had been nearly
completely cleared, and blue bags were seen in use around the encampment site
(Figure 13).
Two personal sharps
containers were collected during the Monday supply distribution, and eleven new
empty containers were distributed.
During the Pilot effort, a
resident of the encampment began voluntarily collecting sharps and containers
from throughout the encampment from people who were uncomfortable returning
the containers in the presence of law enforcement or generally in-person.
The volunteer returned twelve marked containers (935 sharps) to the SLO Bangers
for disposal during their Wednesday operating hours during Week 3. The
commendable work of this volunteer significantly increased the total impact of
the SLO Bangers and greatly benefitted community health and safety within the
encampment.
While
in the hospital, I was informed that this exodus occurred because of citations
issued or threatened by law enforcement– FYI (not saying it is true- just
saying that is what I was told). Several
unsheltered community members had vacated the encampment by Week 3, resulting
in a smaller group of individuals participating in the Pilot effort. Despite the
smaller number of participants, waste disposal continued during Week 3,
ultimately removing another 1.26 tons of waste from the encampment.
Staff monitored the
condition of the roll-off, the greater property and road right-of-way
throughout the week. There were no signs of traffic to the property for the
purpose of illegal dumping, and no trash bags deposited to the road
right-of-way.
Week 3 Summary Metrics
Blue Bags Distributed 36
bags
Sharps Containers
Distributed 11 containers
Sharps Collected for Disposal
956 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill
1.26 tons
Figure 13: Waste being
collected for removal during
Week 3.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 15
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
Week 4
Once
again, while in the hospital, I was informed that this exodus occurred because
of citations issued or threatened by law enforcement– FYI (not saying it is
true- just saying that is what I was told). The number of unsheltered community members residing in the encampment
had decreased significantly by Week 4 of the Pilot effort. Several occupants
may have chosen to relocate before potential enforcement of the issued notices
to vacate. Many of the vacated areas had been almost completely cleared of
trash and waste.
Those who remained in the
encampment continued to diligently collect and dispose of trash and encouraged
the participation of others. Several areas that had been cleared of debris over
previous weeks were marked off or barricaded by members of the encampment to
discourage resettlement or littering.
During the final Monday
supply distribution, the field team notified remaining members of the
encampment that it would be the final week of the Pilot effort, and that
enforcement of the notices to vacate should be expected in the coming weeks. IMHO, this sets a bad precedent, as homeless people
from the different camps do indeed communicate with each, or even “switch”
camps from time to time for various reasons. The precedent is: first we do a
trash pick up (and have the homeless people throw out their garbage, plus the
garbage of those who came before them) and then after the camp is clean, we
issues citations and move everybody out of the “clean” homeless camp, and since
they have nowhere else to go, they move to an adjacent homeless camp that has
not benefited from trash pick up service, where they are back to living in
squalor, without the benefit of their recent clean up labor.
CAT deputies and the SLO
Bangers volunteers provided contact information for support services to
continue working with the unsheltered community members who engaged in the
Pilot effort. The field team expressed gratitude and thanked everyone who
participated in the Pilot effort, and all the remaining encampment residents
returned the thanks and gratitude for the opportunity to participate. Was the high volume of Sharp’s devices expected? If
not, what did we learn from the level of sharp’s disposal?
Two personal sharps
containers were collected during the supply distribution (they were not
containers supplied by the Pilot effort), and a small number of sharps were
retrieved from the secure disposal box.
Staff monitored the
condition of the roll-off, the greater property and road right-of-way
throughout the week. There were no signs of traffic to the property for the
purpose of illegal dumping and no trash bags deposited to the road
right-of-way.
In the week following the
conclusion of the Pilot effort, 13 bags of waste were deposited near the
right-ofway of the road adjacent to the encampment. Five of the bags were
marked blue bags from the Pilot effort. Staff from Caltrans District 5 removed
the bags for disposal.
Week 4 Summary Metrics
Blue Bags Distributed 36
bags
Sharps Containers
Distributed 2 containers
Sharps Collected for
Disposal 352 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill
0.91 tons
Figure 14: Waste staged for
disposal
during Week 4.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 16
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
Un-Measurable Outcomes
Partner agencies agree that
there were benefits and improvements in public health, water quality, and
community engagement as a result of the Pilot effort. There were no plans to
quantify these benefits at the outset of the Pilot effort, but the degree of
improvement can be estimated through the experiences of the Partner agencies
involved.
Public health benefits
The Blue Bag Partnership not
only disposed of potentially contaminated sharps on-site, removing them as a
source of infection in the community, but also provided sharps containers so
that newly generated used sharps could be safely stored until disposal. Though
the majority of people who are experiencing homeless do not inject drugs (do you have a citation for this? Is it in the PIT
survey? I’ll look when I get a chance. I really have no idea, but the percentage
of homeless injecting drugs appears to be high), the community does
disproportionately struggle with substance use disorders, including injection
drug use.4 Engaging with people at the encampment presented an opportunity to
provide them the resources to avoid blood-borne infectious diseases such as
Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV. This is especially important for people who
inject drugs, as injection drug use accounts for almost 10% of new HIV cases,
and 64% of people diagnosed with acute Hepatitis C inject drugs.5 People
generally acquire these infections through sharing of syringes (and other
supplies) due to lack of adequate sterile materials.
SLO Bangers provided contact
information (verbally and on the containers) for the syringe exchange program
(SEP) where people using sharps could get tested for Hepatitis C, HIV, and
receive sterile harm reduction supplies, including condoms. Building stronger
community linkages to the SLO Bangers SEP increases the opportunity for further
education on overdose prevention, and the use/acquisition of Naloxone kits to
reverse overdoses. Future iterations of the Blue Bag Partnership might be more
impactful on public health by including direct outreach; providing Naloxone
kits and overdose prevention training on-site at the encampments, and providing
hygiene (what is in a hygiene kit? Personal
hygiene kit includes: 9-clean wipes, 2-disposable washcloths,1 nail clipper,
1-comb, 1-razor, 1-toothpaste, 1-deodorant, 1-toothbrush, 1-bar soap,
1-shampoo. – this used to called “toiletries”)
and wound care kits to people in need.
Water quality, pollutant load reduction, Wildlife Interaction Reduction
Given
the dry weather and lack of precipitation during the “Trial Window”, if
measurements were taken, any variation would not likely be attributable to
run-off? There were no water quality measurements take in the
waterway adjacent to the Pilot site either before and after, or upstream and
downstream of the effort. Despite the visible improvement in site conditions,
there are many potentially confounding factors that would prevent a direct
correlation between water quality measurements and trash removal in the
adjacent area. However, removing trash and waste from the riparian corridor
reduces the potential for rain events and elevated flows to mobilize pollutants
to the waterway and transport them downstream.
The homeless camp occupants reported that
with the decrease in trash, there was a commensurate reduction in wildlife
interaction. This is an outcome that is
highly desired by Fish and Wildlife, as well as environmental groups, in these sensitive
wildlife areas.
Several of the encampment
occupants conveyed a greater sense of belonging in the community for ‘doing
their part’ to improve the conditions of the encampment and helping others.
They reported collecting and disposing of trash generated by others, and
encouraging other members of the encampment to participate.
During the period of the
Pilot project, a well-known non-profit hosted a large public event near the
encampment site. An unsheltered participant contacted the County to request
that the roll-off remain onsite for an additional day so the encampment could
continue cleaning the area ahead of the event.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 17
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
While it isn’t possible to
quantify the benefits of increased community engagement, restoring community
pride and a sense of belonging are important auxiliary benefits of the program.
Actually, it is possible to quantify, but that would
be for a job “social services” professionals, rather than stormwater run-off
experts, IMHO. When homeless people are included
in the community, they respond in kind. Instead of feeling resentment over
being ostracized, the homeless are left with a greater sense of hope and belonging, and are likely to be
“better citizens” in their community, and behave better.
I
have seen this over and over again over the past 18 years of doing this.
Challenges and Opportunities Associated with the
Partnership
At the conclusion of the
Pilot effort, each of the partnering agencies were invited to share their
perspective on the challenges and opportunities associated with the Blue Bag
Partnership. The perspective of participating unsheltered community members,
non-profit partners, and public agencies are presented in this section.
Perspective: Unsheltered Community Members
A small group of unsheltered
community members gave their perspective on the Blue Bag Partnership at the
conclusion of the Pilot effort in interviews with a Hope’s Village volunteer.
They were asked to describe the trash disposal situation at the encampment
prior to the Pilot effort:
“To dispose of trash from a
homeless camp in SLO, logistics is everything. You have to sort, load, and haul
the trash to a trash receptacle where it can legally be thrown out. It’s a time-consuming
activity that can take 3 or 4 hours and is embarrassing and intrusive.”
“The trash builds up in camp
to such a large volume that we have no choice but to get rid of it. We look
carefully at what to throw away, and because of the effort required to get it
to a legal trash container, if we’re not sure, we keep the items in camp, where
they accumulate.”
They were also asked to
describe the impact to the encampment from having a trash pickup program during
the Pilot effort:
“The ‘Pilot Program’ is
somewhat like residential curbside trash pickup. Helps keep our camp tidy and
keeps rodents away. Was a great morale boost for everyone. Homeless people
adjacent to our camp also brought trash from their location. We need a legal
place to dispose of trash, and this pilot program provided that. So many
mountain lions, deer, tree rats and ground rodents in our area. Less trash
means less negative interactions with wildlife.”
“I was grateful that I got
to participate in the Trash Pilot Program. The convenient location of the
program dumpsters allowed us to not only get rid of all the trash and items we
did not need, but allowed us to dispose of trash left in the area by other
homeless people that came before us.”
“Cool program. We don’t like
living in and seeing all the trash. The pilot program allowed us to ‘roll the
trash out to the curb’ – real nice and a lot easier. Showed that ‘people cared
about me, giving us a shot’. We are capable human beings and we do care about
the environment.”
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 18
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
Perspective: SLO Bangers Syringe Exchange Program
Participating in the Pilot
effort gave the SLO Bangers the opportunity to provide safe syringe litter
disposal to people who are living in extreme poverty and who have various
challenges that prevent them from safe disposal. Through this we empowered them
to maintain a safe camp site and void of used syringes laying around,
eliminating reuse of syringes and accidental needle sticks. This is a first
step for helping to prevent the transmission and spread of HIV and Hepatitis C.
Our participation in the Pilot effort has resulted in relationships with
campers that are ongoing, some participants are still bringing in used syringes
from the site a month after the Pilot effort ended and really feel an ownership
over their contribution.
Syringe exchange programs
can be stigmatized in the community by people who do not understand their
valuable contribution to public health. One of the challenges for the SLO
Bangers is gaining the respect of agencies that might have seen us in
unfavorable light due to stigma surrounding injection drug use and the
population we serve. Another challenge was separating the syringe exchange
goals from those of City Parks, Department of Fish and Wildlife and law
enforcement agencies, while still promoting the Pilot effort and encouraging
people to participate.
With that in mind, it was
also difficult to gain trust within the encampment community, and especially
maintain that trust while they remain at risk of citations, fines, and
evictions. Though safe disposal of used syringes is an important part of SLO
Bangers mission, and we gained many community connections through the Pilot
effort, going forward it will be important to balance how to best help and
empower people living in the encampments with the clean-up aspects of the
program.
Participants were more
likely to trust a known community resource like SLO Bangers in accepting and
sharing sharps containers vs. law enforcement officers, and it is important
that their trust is not misplaced. We were able to engage with people that are
difficult to connect with, and established working relationships with folks
from the camps who want to work with us to promote the health of their
community. The Pilot effort also brought us together with other community
programs that we have not worked with before. Building community relations is
crucial, an essential part of that is meeting people where they are at, which
is key to a program like this working. The SLO Bangers are hopeful that these
new relationships will continue and grow in the future towards the common goals
of a healthy, safe community.
Perspective: City of San Luis Obispo
The City of San Luis Obispo
was very pleased to have been a part of this collaborative Pilot program.
Engaging the unsheltered homeless community has been a long-standing challenge
for the City of San Luis Obispo from a logistical point of view as a single
agency with specific requirements. But, with the partnerships identified here
in this report, we are hopeful that this Pilot program will be a catalyst for
future efforts to reduce the pollutant load into our local creeks and wildlife
areas. The land use goals for the area where the Pilot program took place was
one of the key aspects the City had to keep in mind (the property is an
Ecological Reserve not open to the public and was established to protect and
restore a floodplain and establish wetland habitat) but by considering the bigger
environmental picture for the Pilot effort, City staff was able to support the
partnered effort.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 19
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
With the increased number of
unsheltered homeless and the lack of adequate housing options, the unsheltered
community needs additional support, but the logistics of additional support, as
identified in the report, were a key point for City staff. Internal
collaboration between City Administration, Parks and Recreation and Police
departments took place, in addition to the larger group meetings to ensure
staff were all on the same page and were able to participate effectively.
Legacy trash from previous
encampments was uncovered during the weekly walks but not collected from the
on-site population helping with the trash removal program. After the Pilot was
completed, City staff had contractors go in and remove all the rest of the
trash from the property. One of the main goals of the Pilot program for the
City was to reduce the amount of trash potentially getting into our local
waterways. However, the unsheltered homeless present not only an environmental
problem, but also a social problem and the Pilot program brought many partners
together to continue to expand the amount of resources available to address the
needs of the unsheltered population and will hopefully be emulated in other
areas to continue to make the connections for all parties involved to support
more positive outcomes.
Perspective: County of San Luis Obispo
Staff from the Sheriff’s
Office, Social Services and Public Works worked in close collaboration to
facilitate the Pilot effort. The Pilot effort was unique in the collaboration
between multiple departments to address health, safety and environmental concerns
associated with an occupied encampment. The ability to draw on the subject
matter expertise of staff across several disciplines was important in planning
and coordination, and was a significant factor in the success of the Pilot
effort.
County staff had hoped that
the Pilot effort could also serve as a bridge for unsheltered community members
to begin engaging with support services that might lead to housing. Extending
the work of the SLO Bangers into the field provided a critical link to community
members who might not have been familiar with their program or had the means to
take part in their weekly service hours. Building trust, and a willingness to
engage with a variety of service providers in the field is an important step in
overcoming long-term homelessness. Establishing relationships between
unsheltered community members and providers of supportive services can be a
critical first step in transitioning into temporary or permanent housing.
********************
County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 20
Blue Bag Partnership Pilot Effort
10. Citations
1. San Luis Obispo County
Homeless Census & Survey Comprehensive Report, 2019.
https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/getattachment/f1b2caef-10c6-4415-b0ad-1396eeb97a0b/2019-
Homeless-Census-Survey-Report.aspx
2. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH).
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/sanitation/index.html
3. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH).
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.g
ov%2Fnceh%2Fehs%2Fgwash%2Fdefault.htm
4. Managing HIV and
Hepatitis C Outbreaks Among People Who Inject Drugs, March 2018.
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/programresources/guidance/cluster-outbreak/cdc-hiv-hcv-pwidguide.
pdf
5. National Coalition for
the Homeless, Substance Abuse and Homelessness, June 2017.
https://nationalhomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Substance-Abuse-and-
Homelessness.pdf
**********
Interview with Homeless Participants in the “Blue Bag Pilot Project”, conducted by homeless advocate Tim Waag with the nonprofit of “Hope’s Village of SLO”.
Introduction: In
preparation for the “Blue Bag Pilot Project”, I made numerous visits to the
“Higuera Bridge” homeless camps. I regularly met the occupants of the camp and informed
them of the upcoming 4-week trash collection pilot program at their
location. The homeless occupants
expressed a great deal of interest in this program, and were eager to volunteer
their time to ensure its success. The program commenced for 4 consecutive weeks
around September 2019.
The 3 interviews below took place after the pilot program
proved to be a success. It was seen that the homeless occupants of this area,
and indeed, homeless people in areas adjacent to the pilot program, were
enthusiastic participants. The homeless interviewees were articulate in their
interviews in expressing the morale boost from the trash pickup program. Not
only did they enthusiastically get rid of all trash in the area during the
pilot program, but also felt that it indicated that “society cared about them
and their plight”.
Prior to the pilot program, I documented the large volume of trash at the Higuera Bridge location. The homeless occupants claimed that much of the trash was from previous occupants of the area, and not “theirs”. “After” pilot program photos show that large volumes of trash was staged and disposed of in the dumpsters during the pilot program period. I would be happy to provide these “before” and “after” photos “upon request”.
Sadly, I was not able to participate in the Blue Bag program
as I had planned, as I was in the hospital / ICU for 6 weeks during this
period. However, I kept in touch with program coordinators during the 4 weeks,
as well as the homeless participants. Literally the first day I was out of the
hospital, I made a beeline down to “Higuera Bridge” to talk to the homeless
people who participated in the trash disposal program. They were so happy of
the positive impact of the program on their “camp life” that their enthusiasm
was overwhelming. And I was overwhelmed by their gratitude.
Interview Questions:
Question 1 - “Before”
Interview: Describe the Trash Disposal situation at your “Higuera Bridge”
camp before the Blue Bag Pilot Program.
Question 2 - “During” Interview: Describe the
impact to your homeless camp (and to you) from having a curbside trash pickup
program, as implemented by the Blue Bag Pilot Program.
Interview 1: “Karlina”. Declined to state last name. Photo
included.
Question 1: To dispose of trash from a homeless camp in SLO, logistics is everything. You have to sort, load, and haul the trash to a trash receptacle where it can legally be thrown out. It’s a time consuming activity that can take 3 or 4 hours, and is embarrassing and intrusive.
Question 1: To dispose of trash from a homeless camp in SLO, logistics is everything. You have to sort, load, and haul the trash to a trash receptacle where it can legally be thrown out. It’s a time consuming activity that can take 3 or 4 hours, and is embarrassing and intrusive.
Question 2: The
“Pilot Program” is somewhat like residential curbside trash pickup. Helps keep
our camp tidy, and keeps rodents away. Was a great morale boost for everyone.
Homeless people adjacent to our camp also brought trash from their location. We
need a legal place to dispose of trash, and this pilot program provided that.
So many mountain lions, deer, tree rats and ground rodents in our area. Less
trash means less negative interactions with wildlife.
Interview 2: “Billy Lacy”. Photo included.
Question 1: The
trash builds up in camp to such a large volume that we have no choice but to
get rid of it. We look carefully at what to throw away, and because of the
effort required to get it to a legal trash container, if we’re not sure, we
keep the items in camp, where they accumulate.
Question 2: I was
grateful that I got to participate in the Trash Pilot Program. The convenient
location of the program dumpsters allowed us to not only get rid of all the
trash and items we did not need, but allowed us to dispose of trash left in the
area by other homeless people that came before us.
Interview 3: “Jason Pollock”. Photo included.
Question 1: Terrible
situation caused by the other people’s trash left at our site. Too much trash
and no practical way to get rid of it.
Question 2: Cool
program. We don’t like living in and seeing all the trash. The pilot program
allowed us to “roll the trash out to the curb” – real nice and a lot easier.
Showed that “people cared about me, giving us a shot”. We are capable human
beings and we do care about the environment.
**********
Pre-Pilot Conditions
Project Outcomes at Week 2 of 4
Blue Bag Pilot Project Summary
Top:
The initial 20cy rolloff was filled to capacity in under 6 hours.
Left:
Pilot blue bags used to collect and stage waste in the encampment.
Week 1 Overview
The Pilot began on Monday, September 9, with an interagency team of twelve staff and volunteers distributing marked blue trash bags and personal sharps disposal containers to unsheltered residents of the en-campment.
Everyone contacted at the site was notified that a rolloff dumpster would be delivered the following morning (Tuesday), and removed on Thursday. During the initial outreach effort, an unsheltered resident of the encampment assisted SLO Bangers volunteers with the removal of 25 un-contained sharps.
On Tuesday, September 10, a 20cy rolloff container was delivered to the site and a secure sharps disposal container was installed. Staff returned to the Pilot site at 3:30 p.m. to monitor the site and found that the rolloff had been filled. The 20cy rolloff was removed on Wednesday morning and replaced with a 40cy rolloff to provide additional disposal capacity. The 40cy rolloff was removed from the site on Thursday afternoon and a second field supply distribution was conducted.
The Blue Bag Pilot Project (Pilot) tests the ‘proof of concept’ that the significant expense of a municipality led transient encampment cleanup might be offset through focused outreach and providing weekly waste removal to a remote transient encampment.
The Pilot site is comprised of publicly owned property within a County unincorporated area. In advance of launching the Pilot, a community advocate conducted extensive outreach to the unsheltered residents of the encampment and reported strong interest in participating. Members of the Sheriffs’ Community Action Team also made several visits to the encampment and were familiar with the unsheltered residents and conditions in the area.
There were approximately 15-20 unsheltered persons residing in the encampment at the launch of the Pilot effort. It was estimated that approximately 120 cubic yards (cy) of waste and debris had accumulated across the Pilot site.
Top:
Sheriff’s’ officers made frequent visits to the encampment ahead of the Pilot.
Right:
Approximately 20cy of accumulated waste piled near a pathway to the encampment.
Week 1 Summary Metrics
Blue Bags Distributed:
73 bags
Sharps Containers Distributed:
23 containers
Sharps Collected for Disposal:
25 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill:
3.15 tons
The second week of the Pilot utilized a significantly smaller field team and reduced the number of visits to the encampment. A single field team visit was conducted on Monday, September 16, to distribute bags and sharps containers, as well as notify residents of the arrival of another rolloff.
During the field visit two personal sharps containers were returned to SLO Bangers volunteers and a significant number of sharps were recovered from a waste pile on site. In addition to sharps collected in the field, two of the Pilot marked sharps containers were returned to the SLO Bangers during regular operation hours on September 18.
A 40cy rolloff was delivered to the Pilot site on Tuesday, September 17, and then removed on Thursday, September 19.
Project Outcomes at Week 2 of 4
Blue Bag Pilot Project Summary
Week 2 Overview
Unexpected Outcomes
• At the end of Week 1, unsheltered encampment residents installed a decoy tent in an area that they had thoroughly cleaned. They explained they intended to prevent anyone from moving into the area and creating a new mess.
• The encampment residents prepared for Week 2 by staging waste near the rolloff delivery location (Far Left). The entire staged waste pile was transferred to the rolloff by Thursday morning (Left).
• A resident of the encampment contacted County staff on Thursday, September 19 to request that the rolloff remain onsite for an extra day. She was concerned that they had not finished their cleaning yet and needed extra time. She was reassured that a new rolloff would be delivered the next week.
Top: SLO Bangers volunteers in the field.
Middle: Personal sharps containers and sharps collected in the field.
Bottom: Rolloff condition on the morning of September 19th.
Week 2 Summary Metrics
Blue Bags Distributed:
25 bags
Sharps Containers Distributed:
4 containers
Sharps Collected for Disposal:
270 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill:
1.49 tons
2-Week Totals
Sharps Collected for Disposal:
295 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill:
4.64 tons
**********
Pre-Pilot Conditions
Project Outcomes at Week 2 of 4
Blue Bag Pilot Project Summary
Top:
The initial 20cy rolloff was filled to capacity in under 6 hours.
Left:
Pilot blue bags used to collect and stage waste in the encampment.
Week 1 Overview
The Pilot began on Monday, September 9, with an interagency team of twelve staff and volunteers distributing marked blue trash bags and personal sharps disposal containers to unsheltered residents of the en-campment.
Everyone contacted at the site was notified that a rolloff dumpster would be delivered the following morning (Tuesday), and removed on Thursday. During the initial outreach effort, an unsheltered resident of the encampment assisted SLO Bangers volunteers with the removal of 25 un-contained sharps.
On Tuesday, September 10, a 20cy rolloff container was delivered to the site and a secure sharps disposal container was installed. Staff returned to the Pilot site at 3:30 p.m. to monitor the site and found that the rolloff had been filled. The 20cy rolloff was removed on Wednesday morning and replaced with a 40cy rolloff to provide additional disposal capacity. The 40cy rolloff was removed from the site on Thursday afternoon and a second field supply distribution was conducted.
The Blue Bag Pilot Project (Pilot) tests the ‘proof of concept’ that the significant expense of a municipality led transient encampment cleanup might be offset through focused outreach and providing weekly waste removal to a remote transient encampment.
The Pilot site is comprised of publicly owned property within a County unincorporated area. In advance of launching the Pilot, a community advocate conducted extensive outreach to the unsheltered residents of the encampment and reported strong interest in participating. Members of the Sheriffs’ Community Action Team also made several visits to the encampment and were familiar with the unsheltered residents and conditions in the area.
There were approximately 15-20 unsheltered persons residing in the encampment at the launch of the Pilot effort. It was estimated that approximately 120 cubic yards (cy) of waste and debris had accumulated across the Pilot site.
Top:
Sheriff’s’ officers made frequent visits to the encampment ahead of the Pilot.
Right:
Approximately 20cy of accumulated waste piled near a pathway to the encampment.
Week 1 Summary Metrics
Blue Bags Distributed:
73 bags
Sharps Containers Distributed:
23 containers
Sharps Collected for Disposal:
25 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill:
3.15 tons
The second week of the Pilot utilized a significantly smaller field team and reduced the number of visits to the encampment. A single field team visit was conducted on Monday, September 16, to distribute bags and sharps containers, as well as notify residents of the arrival of another rolloff.
During the field visit two personal sharps containers were returned to SLO Bangers volunteers and a significant number of sharps were recovered from a waste pile on site. In addition to sharps collected in the field, two of the Pilot marked sharps containers were returned to the SLO Bangers during regular operation hours on September 18.
A 40cy rolloff was delivered to the Pilot site on Tuesday, September 17, and then removed on Thursday, September 19.
Project Outcomes at Week 2 of 4
Blue Bag Pilot Project Summary
Week 2 Overview
Unexpected Outcomes
• At the end of Week 1, unsheltered encampment residents installed a decoy tent in an area that they had thoroughly cleaned. They explained they intended to prevent anyone from moving into the area and creating a new mess.
• The encampment residents prepared for Week 2 by staging waste near the rolloff delivery location (Far Left). The entire staged waste pile was transferred to the rolloff by Thursday morning (Left).
• A resident of the encampment contacted County staff on Thursday, September 19 to request that the rolloff remain onsite for an extra day. She was concerned that they had not finished their cleaning yet and needed extra time. She was reassured that a new rolloff would be delivered the next week.
Top: SLO Bangers volunteers in the field.
Middle: Personal sharps containers and sharps collected in the field.
Bottom: Rolloff condition on the morning of September 19th.
Week 2 Summary Metrics
Blue Bags Distributed:
25 bags
Sharps Containers Distributed:
4 containers
Sharps Collected for Disposal:
270 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill:
1.49 tons
2-Week Totals
Sharps Collected for Disposal:
295 sharps
Trash Hauled to Landfill:
4.64 tons
No comments:
Post a Comment