San Jose removes over 100K pounds of trash from Columbus Park encampment cleanup

SAN JOSE, Calif (KGO) -- A longstanding homeless encampment in San Jose is being cleared piece by piece.

In one week, city crews removed over 100,000 pounds of trash at Columbus Park.

On Monday, homeless advocate Shaunn Cartwright and Grace who called this encampment home, showed us the progress.

"It's been six-and-a-half years since I've actually slept in a bed," Grace said.

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According to the city, out of 370 people at the encampment, 238 which is 64% said yes to housing.

Grace is one of the 47 people the city has moved into shelter from this camp. She has a room at the Bristol Hotel.

"A nice shower and a bathtub. So it's luxury - two sinks. I feel very excited and I'm trying to help the rest of my family out here," Grace said.

Cartwright said the abatement process is happening hastily. Meals are offered at converted hotels, but the rooms are not equipped with mini fridges or microwaves.

RELATED: SJ begins clearing largest encampment; all its residents to be prioritized for interim housing

"One of the hotels doesn't even have a laundry room and that's one of the first things people want to do is like OK I'm here - I got to do my laundry," Cartwright said.

Part of the abatement process is offering those living in RV's a buyback program; $2,000 for an operable or inoperable RV.

The city said 72 signed up for the pilot program; 37 have been removed from the park.

"We've had vanlording people actually buying inoperable unsafe RVs, towing them out to Columbus Park to rent them out to people this is not safe," Mahan said.

RELATED: RV buyback program offered ahead of major San Jose encampment clearing

Cartwright said their offer comes with punitive rules. The $2,000 via EBT can't be spent on alcohol or cigarettes.

"In the end maybe you have a lot of people agree with that but you're telling people here's $2,000 to spend what I think is best for you, they're grown adults," Cartwright said.

"We're trying to make it easy for people to say yes. But we're also going to enforce our local quality of life laws we just we have to do both," Mahan said.

Out of the more than 300 people that live at Columbus Park, 11 are children. Mahan said so far, they have moved five families into shelter.