11-03-2025
Modesto awarded over $5.5 million to clear large homeless encampment
MODESTO — The City of Modesto is getting over $5.5 million to clear away a large homeless encampment from Yosemite Boulevard.
The grant was awarded to the city as part of California's Encampment Resolution Funding Round 3.
In its application for the grant, the city cites safety concerns, noting that the nearby manufacturing industry on a stretch of Yosemite Boulevard creates busy roads filled with semi-trucks.
The city is using a housing-first approach — that is, using permanent housing as a solution — in its effort to clear the homeless from the area. This includes rapid rehousing services from Modesto Gospel Mission and the Salvation Army.
The plan also outlines outreach, which will be conducted by the Modesto Police Department's chat team.
We spoke to a Modesto resident who currently utilizes the nearby shelters but said that he expects more people will need those services in the coming months.
"A bunch of layoffs, Foster Farms and the winery — I think Foster farms had 150 layoffs the winery had 80. So yeah, I think there are going to be a lot more families on the street," he said.
The city says it will update the public as the plan progresses. The goal is to have this stretch of road cleared of encampments within the next two years.
In its application, the city says roughly 40 people are living there. The hope is that this could benefit up to 140 individuals who may move in from other areas of the city.
