Ontario Sets Limits on Homeless Camp's Growing Population

What seemed like an act of kindness last year has turned into a headache for the City of Ontario. It opened an encampment near the Ontario airport to give the city's homeless people a safer place to stay. But the site, dubbed "Tent City," has grown beyond the city's control, and now Ontario is telling some of the homeless to leave. KPCC's Steven Cuevas says some "Tent City" dwellers worry they'll soon lose the first sense of home they've had in a long time.

Steven Cuevas: Bob King flies a Red Cross flag above a collection of makeshift tents he shares with four other homeless men.

Bob King: Our flag flies 24/7 with our fire. You have help whenever you want it or need it.

Cuevas: Before he was homeless, King was an emergency medical tech, so he can handle some of the encampment's small emergencies.

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King: Just basic first aid type stuff. I mean, cuts, abrasions, burns, stuff like that. You know, if it's real serious, a couple of people who live here have phones, and we'll just call EMS and have them come out and take care of it, but other than that, Band-aids, Ace bandages, cold packs.

Cuevas: Bob King pitched his tent here last year, after Ontario set aside the land for the city's homeless. But he'll have to leave if he can't show authorities some kind of proof that tethers him to Ontario, like a driver's license or a utility bill. King is from Oregon.

King: If I have to move on, then I can move on. You know, I found this place. You know, this is better for us than being on the streets behind a dumpster, aggravating some shop owner. We're all safe here. We have bathrooms and stuff like that. You come to us hungry or with a cut finger, we'll give you a Band-Aid and a bottle of water and a couple of cookies, and you're walkin away with a smile, going "Hey, that's pretty cool." You won't find that out there. But here, 24/7.

Cuevas: Ontario's homeless encampment is near the Union-Pacific rail line, on the edge of Ontario International airport. It was nicknamed "Tent City" for the sea of tents that swelled up after the city set aside the land as a safe haven. The site was only intended for the 200 or so chronically homeless people in Ontario, not for the homeless throughout the Inland Empire and other parts of Southern California.

Brent Shultz: We can't take care of the region's homeless.

Cuevas: Ontario's housing director Brent Shultz says anyone in "Tent City" who can't prove ties to Ontario will be directed to San Bernardino County's Human Services office. It handles aid to the homeless. They'll get cab or bus fare to wherever they came from. Dozens of people have already left.

Shultz: We're gonna improve this area, make sure it can handle up to 170 people, organize the non-profits and have an area where they can give. And it'll function much like a shelter. It's open during the day, and then from ten at night 'til six in the morning, it's close the gates, nobody can go in unless they got a permit to be there. It's a security issue.

David James: I'm just not worried about myself. We're all like a family here. We take care of each other.

Cuevas: David James is from Ontario. He can stay. But he worries about those that can't.

James: You know, we have a food tent in there where we supply food. We've got a hundred tents coming to help people. I could see where they can say, OK, we'll give you some help, but not kick people out of here.

Cuevas: The people living at "Tent City" have a few days to prove they're eligible to stay. If they can't, they'll have to move. Those who don't could be cited for trespassing.