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Antioch mayor shutting down homeless encampment, some offered shelter and services
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe announced a homeless encampment is being shut down for the safety of its residents along the train tracks. He's proposing taking 15 people and moving them into a county-run former motel that will begin housing homeless people and offer them services.
ANTIOCH, Calif. - Along the train tracks near Antioch's waterfront, homeless people have been setting up a series of small encampments.
But Mayor Lamar Thorpe says they can't stay there any longer.
"This is a dangerous, dangerous location for people to be residing," he said.
Earlier this month a homeless man was racing across the tracks, friends say to get to a bathroom when a train struck and killed him.
His name was Louie Rocha. His family says his life seemed to fall apart.
"He had some bad things happen. Divorces, troubles on the street. Turned to meth and that was the last we seen him really," said his brother Michael Rocha.
Thorpe announced Tuesday the encampments there will be shut down. But he is also proposing taking 15 people now living along the tracks and moving them into a county-run former motel that will begin housing homeless people, and offer services.
"I would like to get into a motel room. Get some housing. I worked hard every day. This one incident brought me down," said Lonnie Smith.
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That one incident Smith says was the death of his wife. It caused him to spiral into depression and eventually brought him to camp in the area by the train tracks.
"This is where I met her. So I think I had to come here to heal," he said.
Rocha's family says they are glad other homeless people maybe be helped as a result of their brother's death.
"I know there are probably 100 steps. But starting with that first step is awesome to me," said Rocha.