California caves dug out by people experiencing homelessness has the community and city officials concerned for the safety of those living underneath the Tuolumne River. The discovery also brings to the forefront the state’s ongoing crisis with unhoused people.
The Modesto Police Department, the Tuolumne River Trust, and Operation 9-2-99, a volunteer river clean-up organization, worked together to clean up approximately 7,600 pounds of trash from the caves and the surrounding areas, according to local outlet CBS13 .
The caves, which are located about 20 feet below street level, can be entered by a makeshift staircase that was built onto the hillside.
Residents who live in the area have expressed concerns over the safety of the unhoused people living in the cave that should be considered unfit for anyone to live in.
“If one of these were to collapse, it would be devastating,” said Tracy Rojas, a homeowner that lives near the caves, told CBS13 in an interview. “This whole thing would come down and go into the water.”