Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
San Diego Uses Wildfire Reduction Work to Treat Homelessness. Would It Work in Fresno?
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 11 months ago on
December 28, 2023

Share

 

In Summary
After discovering an elaborate encampment in a fire-prone canyon, a group in San Diego was inspired to develop a skills training program for unhoused people that helps reduce fire risk and connect them with jobs.

Keith Wilson

Special to CalMatters

A potential solution to reduce homelessness and ease the effects of climate change came from a man living in a San Diego canyon.

Mark had built an apartment-like camp in a drainage tunnel on the Allen Canyon Nature Trail in Mission Hills. It had a wooden floor, a couch, a dresser, a broken coffee maker and a shattered TV.

He had weapons to defend his home, and a five-gallon can of gasoline for cooking. The gas can was uncovered and stored at the base of the canyon where nearby hotel guests occasionally flick their cigarettes.

San Diego’s canyons are some of the most high-risk fire zones in the region, according to Cal Fire. Scared that Mission Hills might burn, including areas that could contain Kumeyaay tribe artifacts, Mark and 500 gallons of trash were removed by the city – but not before Mark said something unforgettable.

“Your efforts to clean this canyon aren’t going to work,” he said. “Yeah, I will get kicked out of here at some point. But all you are doing is making the canyon nice for the next homeless person. What you really need to do is to clean the canyon and then make sure people use the nature trail every day.”

Mark, an expert on living outside, suggested a way to ease homelessness and protect the environment. His words inspired a three-year mission to find funding and an organization willing to develop an environmental restoration skills training program for San Diego’s unsheltered population.

Both worked. Earlier this year, six people at risk of homelessness – mostly women – were paid living wages by San Diego Canyonlands to form the first Environmental Career Opportunities, or ECO, habitat renewal training team.

Three participants graduated, and two eventually landed jobs. They went from living in cars to earning a living in six months.

One of the team members, Angel, recently took a break from pulling invasive weeds in Mission Hills Canyon to share part of his life story.

“Back in 2015, I was in a space so dark that I didn’t even recognize myself. I started self-harming, and making suicide attempts. The cops are always being called, and putting me on 5150 holds,” he told me. “After that, my family didn’t want nothing to do with me. They threw me to the street. It was my freshman year of high-school.”

The 24-year-old’s legs nervously rocked a bit as he sat on a sewer manhole cover.

“It was hard, and I tried to get run over on the freeway,” Angel continued. “So, they put me in a psychiatric hospital to see how stable I am, and how they might support me. And it went from there.”

“Your efforts to clean this canyon aren’t going to work,” he said. “Yeah, I will get kicked out of here at some point. But all you are doing is making the canyon nice for the next homeless person. What you really need to do is to clean the canyon and then make sure people use the nature trail every day.”

After bouncing around group homes with other young adults going through similar things, Angel started abusing alcohol. He was 18 at the time.

He eventually received treatment and support services that helped him get sober and housed in a small downtown apartment. Angel joined the ECO initiative in June, as part of the second cohort, and said he already feels the shift.

“I still go through tough situations, but now it doesn’t stop me from helping my teammates and my community. Those bonds can lift you up,” he said. “Now I have a new family – my work family. They look out for me, and they care about me. It’s the first time that has happened for me in a long time. Now I look ahead.”

Many of his teammates still lack shelter, spending each night in a scary, lonely spot.

But in the morning they perform warm-up exercises in the bright sun before grabbing their tools and gardening together, reducing wildfire risks, improving air and water quality, and helping endangered species survive.

In turn, they are helping themselves survive, and enhancing the mental and physical health of anyone who enjoys a nature walk.

Perhaps Mark would be proud of this work. There’s a job for him. With 200 San Diego canyons needing this level of care, there are jobs for 1,000 people like Mark and Angel.

About the Author

Keith Wilson is the director of strategic development for San Diego Canyonlands.

Make Your Voice Heard

GV Wire encourages vigorous debate from people and organizations on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to bmcewen@gvwire.com for consideration. 

About CalMatters

CalMatters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom committed to explaining California policy and politics.

 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

DON'T MISS

If You Thought Trump Wasn’t Serious About Deportations, Look at His First Appointments

DON'T MISS

Biden EPA to Charge First-Ever ‘Methane Fee’ for Emissions Waste by Oil and Gas Companies

DON'T MISS

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

DON'T MISS

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

DON'T MISS

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

DON'T MISS

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

DON'T MISS

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

DON'T MISS

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

UP NEXT

Biden EPA to Charge First-Ever ‘Methane Fee’ for Emissions Waste by Oil and Gas Companies

UP NEXT

How Democrats Helped Trump

UP NEXT

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

UP NEXT

In Deep Blue California, Voters Don’t Always March to Dem Drums

UP NEXT

How Harris Lost Will Be Her Legacy

UP NEXT

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

UP NEXT

Trump, Musk and an American Masculinity Crisis

UP NEXT

Let’s Keep Innovative Partnerships Crucial to Combating Climate Change: Fresno Dairy Manager

UP NEXT

Immediate Threat: Mussel Invades California’s Delta, First Time in North America

UP NEXT

No Matter the Outcome, We Are the True Losers of This Election

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

38 mins ago

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

1 hour ago

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

1 hour ago

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

1 hour ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

2 hours ago

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

2 hours ago

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

2 hours ago

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Will Have Season-Ending Surgery on Torn Hamstring

2 hours ago

Judge Delays Ruling on Whether to Scrap Trump’s Conviction in Hush Money Case

2 hours ago

Songwriters Hall of Fame Unveils Star-Studded 2025 Nominees, From Eminem to Janet Jackson

2 hours ago

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

A landmark from days of old when Merced was known as “Fountain City” is back, fully restored for new generations to appreciate. ...

24 mins ago

24 mins ago

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

29 mins ago

If You Thought Trump Wasn’t Serious About Deportations, Look at His First Appointments

36 mins ago

Biden EPA to Charge First-Ever ‘Methane Fee’ for Emissions Waste by Oil and Gas Companies

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
38 mins ago

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

1 hour ago

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

1 hour ago

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

1 hour ago

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

2 hours ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

Search

Send this to a friend