San Vicente Homeless Encampment Cleared; 26 Residents Placed In Motels

LOS ANGELES, CA — Cleanup is underway after 26 people who were living in a large homeless encampment near the Beverly Center were relocated into motels, according to city Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky.

The residents, who were living in tents on sidewalks and the median of San Vicente Boulevard, were relocated last week as part of Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe initiative, Yaroslavsky announced in a social media post.

The encampment drew particularly strong media attention thanks in part to its proximity to Beverly Hills. Actor Scott Baio cited it as an example of why he decided to leave California.

"It's really important that folks don't go back there," Yaroslavsky said in a video. "We're going to be working really hard with the mayor's office, with street services, with the outreach teams, police department to make sure that folks don't go back and repopulate those medians."

It's the 16th Inside Safe operation since Bass took office. In addition to placement in motels, the program also aims to offer residents services to help them get on their feet and find permanent housing. Since it was launched in December, the program has brought more than 1,200 people indoors, according to a release from the mayor's office.

Sanitation workers on Thursday were seen hosing off one side of San Vicente where a row of tents once sat, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold said that all Westside cities are working to address the homeless crisis.

“For its part, the city of Beverly Hills spends hundreds of thousands of dollars providing services including shelter to those who need it, a responsibility we take very seriously,” he said in a statement to the Times.

Among the encampment residents who are now indoors is Steven Styne, 52, who told the Times he's been homeless on and off since 2014, when he lost his West Hollywood apartment. He said he was placed in a motel in South LA, about 16 miles away from the Beverly Center.

“I needed to get off the streets,” he told the Times. “Even though it’s far away, I wanted to give it a shot. At least it’s a door to lock and a shower. I can sit and I can concentrate again. It’s hard to do that out here.”