City of San Bernardino Begins Cleanup of Perris Hill Park
This week’s encampment cleanup will be followed by a two-week closure
for additional cleaning, repairs, and maintenance.
After weeks of outreach, the City of San Bernardino began a two-day encampment cleanup of Perris Hill Park on Thursday, November 14. This marks the first encampment cleanup in the San Bernardino since a judge recently lifted an injunction preventing cleanups in the City.
“These past two days have been a big success, and I want to thank everyone involved,” said San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran. “We have compassionately cleared the Park and will be restoring it for use by our residents and families.”
At approximately 7:30 am on Thursday, San Bernardino staff began systematically reminding unhoused individuals that the 64.4-acre park on Highland Avenue was to be cleaned up for health and safety reasons and they would need to leave.
San Bernardino Housing Department staff, Public Works crews, Police officers, Animal Services staff, City homeless outreach workers, and park rangers, along with City trash hauler, Burrtec, worked with the campers to identify items that could be disposed, items that they would take with them, and items that the City would temporarily store for up to 90 days.
Representatives from the Salvation Army and the San Bernardino City Unified School District were also on hand to assist.
“This is a high priority. We wanted to make sure that our first cleanup went smoothly, and it did,” said Acting City Manager Rochelle Clayton. “The cleanup only took two days, but this operation has been underway for over a month.”
In the weeks leading up to the cleanup, the City, along with its partners from the County of San Bernardino and area non-profits, held multiple outreach events at the park to connect individuals with local service providers. City homeless outreach staff were at the park daily for more than a month.
Due to the advanced outreach, a reduction in the number of tents prior to the cleanup was noticeable.
More than thirty individuals were placed in programs including family reunification, drug rehabilitation, transitional and permanent housing, and room and board assistance.
Shuttles were on site to transport people to local hotels and shelters or to nearby pharmacies to fill prescriptions. Some park residents called friends and family to come and help them move. Additional accommodations were provided to disabled individuals in need of special assistance.
Since the court injunction was ordered in January preventing the City from conducting cleanups, the number of people camping in Perris Hill Park dramatically increased, causing health and safety concerns for both people living in and visiting the park
As a result, the City has announced that much of Perris Hill Park will be closed for approximately two weeks, between Saturday, November 16 and Monday, December 1 for additional cleanup, landscaping, maintenance, and repairs.
The Jerry Lewis Family Swim Center, tennis courts, and Senior Center will remain open.
San Bernardino Public Works crews also posted new signage stating Perris Hill Park operating hours, parking rules, and the City’s camping ordinances. The City will be enforcing these restrictions at the park following the temporary closure.
Perris Hill Park is the largest park in the City of San Bernardino at 64.4 acres. Among its features are the Perris Hill Senior Center, Jerry Lewis Family Swim Center, Fiscalini Baseball Field, the 1,800 seat Roosevelt Bowl, the San Bernardino YMCA, tennis and pickleball courts, hiking trails, and playgrounds.
"I'd like our residents to know that this is just the first park cleanup we are doing," added Tran. "More will be coming soon."
