Beaumont Homeless Encampment 'Trashes' Community: Cops

BEAUMONT, CA — Beaumont police on Wednesday announced recent efforts launched to clean up an area of town that's become an eyesore for many. The spot, at Noble Creek Park, was literally "trashed" with mounds of garbage.

"Over the last 12 months, there have been 34 calls for service related to the undeveloped properties around Noble Creek Park," police said in a news release. "This includes all calls for service in the immediate area that relate to transients camping on these properties. Of the 34 calls for service, 16 were made prior to the Homeless Outreach Program and 18 after the program implementation, showing an increase of 16% over the past six months."

Police said that over the course of the last few months, there have been many calls related to the homeless population stemming from the encampment that popped up northeast of the Beaumont Cherry Valley Recreation and Parks District Office. Photos from the area show the piles of trash left behind by people.

"The Beaumont Police Department contacted the property owner for their assistance in cleaning up the property," police said. "The property owner has been helpful in partnering with us to clean up the property."

"Significant progress" has been made with the cleaning of the region, police said. The agency also shared an "after" image since their efforts began, which you can see below.

Recent data showed an increase in the homeless populations in both Beaumont and Banning. In the 2017 point-in-time homeless county, conducted annually by the county in January, 18 people were found to be living without shelter in Beaumont. Banning had 32 people during the same count.

Back in 2016, there were 10 homeless in Beaumont and 25 in Banning, data shows.

The figures from this year's survey are not yet available, but expected to be released this Spring.

— Images courtesy: Beaumont Police Department