Homeless encampment cleared at Maxwell Park, more than 60 move to new shelter Anaheim opened this week
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A homeless encampment on the north end of Anaheim’s Maxwell Park was cleared by officials on Friday.
The encampment had grown to stretch for two blocks along Broadway.
The city had scrambled to open a new interim emergency shelter within two weeks. It opened Thursday with room for about 80 men, 54 women and up to four families. Two more shelters will follow in early 2019.
Thirty homeless people took the offer to move to the new shelter on Friday. On Thursday, 35 people had been transported to the facility, which is near Angel Stadium.
Some 15 members of the Anaheim Police Department and several other local agencies were on hand Friday morning at the park to help with the clearing effort, which started at 5 a.m. By 11 a.m., the encampment was gone and the park cleaned. No arrests were made.
Lisa Nelson said she had lived along the Santa Ana riverbed and in Anaheim’s Schweitzer and Twila Reid parks before moving to Maxwell Park in February. She was taking the offer to move to the shelter on Friday morning.
“I feel confused and emotionally damaged.,” she said. “All these moves have been brutal. They make you feel ashamed.”
Kenny Carpenter watched the move out from his driveway across Broadway Avenue.
“I’ve lived here for 40 years. I’ve seen this before,” he said. “They might be back as soon as tomorrow, but they’ll be back. I’ve seen people die out here.”