San Rafael clears homeless camp, sets sights on finding permanent housing

San Rafael demolished its largest homeless encampment last week and displaced residents were offered the option to move into a new, fenced area a few blocks away.

The encampment, located under the U.S Highway 101 viaduct owned by Caltrans, between Third and Fourth streets, started with a handful of people in the beginning of the pandemic, around the time that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned cities to not clear out encampments in fear of greater COVID-19 spread.