Officials clear homeless encampment in South El Monte

Officials on Thursday cleared a homeless encampment along the San Gabriel River in South El Monte as part of a multi-agency operation.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies combed through the bushes to remove the encampments, including trash and other items, as part of the Sheriff’s Homeless Encampment Operation. Social services providers were also on the scene to provide assistance to transients. Those who agreed to be helped were offered transportation, authorities said.

Homeless encampments are cleared periodically across the county. In 2009, sheriff’s deputies joined crews from the California Department of Transportation to clear out and clean a vault under the 10 Freeway near the San Gabriel River that had been occupied by homeless people. Another large encampment was cleared in Harbor City in 2011.

The encampments typically clog areas with discarded furniture, junk and other items, but they can also be public health hazards and magnets for crime, officials say.

In announcing the latest operation, the sheriff’s department said the ultimate goal was to “identify/address any illegal activity, provide social service to those in need and secure the location for the physical cleanup.”

Crews with the county Department of Public Works and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assisted with the cleanup of the encampment along the San Gabriel River on Thursday.

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jason.wells@latimes.com

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