Bay Area city pays homeless $3,000 each to leave former landfill
A Bay Area city will pay 28 homeless people $3,000 each to leave a former landfill that is planned to be incorporated into a state park, according to a settlement released this week.
The transients who live on the Albany Bulb, which juts out into the San Francisco Bay, will receive the money in exchange for removing their belongings and pets by Friday, according to the settlement of a lawsuit between the city of Albany and homeless advocates. They also will be required to stay away for at least a year.
Residents who did not accept the settlement will also be required to leave, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Some members of the community have lived in the area for 15 years, according to homeless advocates.
“They were going to kick us out anyway, so I opted for the $3,000,” David Justus, a homeless person who accepted the offer, told NBC Bay Area.
Last fall, people living at the Bulb sued to stop eviction after the city began enforcing an anti-camping ordinance while building temporary shelters, the Chronicle reported.
The suit said shelters would not be accessible to many residents with disabilities and that they would have nowhere to go after the shelters closed.
The city’s plan is to clean up the area incorporated the area into the Eastshore State Park, according to the Chronicle.
Twitter: @Sam_Schaefer
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