San Diego, California – San Diego residents living near a designated Safe Sleeping site for unhoused individuals are voicing growing frustration over what they describe as worsening conditions just steps from their homes and tourist landmarks. Piles of trash, human waste, and sprawling encampments have sparked outrage, particularly in the neighborhoods surrounding the O Lot Safe Sleeping site near Balboa Park.
The fenced and managed sleeping site, located off Pershing Drive and adjacent to the I-5 freeway on Caltrans property, was intended to provide a safer and more organized environment for unhoused individuals. But residents say it has unintentionally contributed to a buildup of unregulated encampments just outside its borders.
“It’s like a third-world country,” said one local woman. “I’ve seen fires there. There’s so much trash, and I know a lot of it is human waste. It’s terrible.”…