Israel Elzy loaded an old wheelchair with all his belongings as a dozen workers, rakes and trash bags in hand, began sweeping an encampment along Interstate 5.

The 67-year-old and three other men living near the freeway watched from a few feet away. They waited patiently for the crew to finish cleaning, so they could move their stuff back.

On July 22, the city of San Diego entered into a one-year agreement with the state to clean up encampments along a portion of downtown freeways. While the agreement has allowed the city to clear more than 80 tons of trash and place 18 people into shelters, the same areas they clear repopulate within hours. That’s because shelter space is limited and some people don’t want to go to a shelter.

“Until we have places for everyone to go, we are going to be

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