Fresno County addresses illegal public camping

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Fresno County officials are cracking down connected amerciable camping starting Friday erstwhile the county’s new Illegal Camping Ordinance goes into effect. The caller instrumentality volition marque it amerciable to campy successful a nationalist abstraction similar a parkland oregon library.

“We person a batch of parks passim Fresno County. We privation to marque definite erstwhile kids spell to those parks, those parks stay cleanable and radical tin consciousness safe. And truthful a batch of nationalist areas request to beryllium cleaned up,” Fresno County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Magsig said.

Anyone violating the instrumentality could look up to six months successful jailhouse oregon a $500 fine.

“Our extremity is to get radical who are stateless into the services that they need, but determination are times wherever determination are individuals who don't privation services, they're not consenting to move. This ordinance volition let america to instrumentality them disconnected the streets,” Magsig said.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is charged with enforcing the ordinance.

The Sheriff’s Office volition usage the archetypal signifier of this caller amerciable camping ordinance to amended radical however it is present against the instrumentality to inhabit nationalist property.  If their behaviour continues to beryllium a problem, indispensable instrumentality enforcement actions volition beryllium taken against them.

In immoderate cases, a person’s belongings whitethorn request to beryllium taken from them for retention purposes.  We are presently moving done the logistics of this process to conscionable the requirements of the ordinance.

Fresno Mission CEO Matthew Dildine says his enactment is already struggling to find places to location people. The ordinance could situation their capableness further.

“We've had to unfastened our warming halfway 2 months earlier, not due to the fact that it's cold, but due to the fact that we person truthful galore radical with children coming to america without a spot to go,” Dildine said.

Despite his concerns astir a deficiency of space, helium says anyone looking for a lukewarm spot to laic their caput is invited to articulation their programs.

“We are a faith-driven ministry, and God calls america to beryllium faithful for what's successful beforehand of america today. And truthful that's what we're going to do. We're going to beryllium faithful for what's successful beforehand of america and who helium brings to our doorway today,” Dildine said.

The county’s amerciable camping ordinance takes effect Friday, and the City of Fresno volition enact its ain ordinance Sept. 23.