RIVERSIDE – (INT) – The city is stepping up the initiative to clear more homeless from the streets of the Inland Empire’s largest city.

Sixty-three people who had been living in encampments along Massachusetts Avenue are in temporary housing or a shelter as part of the first step of a comprehensive effort to clean up the area, eliminate potential health risks and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Forty-nine individuals were placed into temporary housing and another 14 accepted spots at a shelter or other program, including one person who was reunited with family. The temporary housing placements include 24-hour case management services and security.

About 100 people had been living along Massachusetts Avenue between Chicago and Kansas avenues in recent weeks. Individuals who refused the offer of shelter late last week were apprised of other services available to individuals experiencing homelessness.

“We know that this work is just beginning, and to claim success, we will need to move these residents from temporary shelter to long-term housing. I look forward to our efforts to further assist people on the path to self-sufficiency while also keeping Massachusetts Avenue clear and safe,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said.

Story Date: September 21, 2020