Homeless encampment near Encino Little League raises concern among parents, coaches

ENCINO, Calif. - Concerns are rising among parents and coaches of the Encino Little League as a homeless encampment has grown near their fields on Caltrans property. Over the past few weeks, several tents have been set up behind the fields, leading to safety and security worries.

Recently, some baseball equipment went missing, prompting a parent to investigate. The parent discovered items from the league’s lost and found, donation bins, and field within the encampment. 

FOX 11 spoke to a resident of the encampment, who said he did not take the equipment, but he acknowledged the concerns and mentioned plans to move to temporary housing in Hollywood next week. He also admitted to having left housing before because it "doesn't work out."

Councilmember Nithya Raman's office responded to the issue, stating, "Our office has worked swiftly and effectively to address encampments that have come up in this area in the past, and this time is no different. As soon as we were alerted about these new individuals, we have been working to bring outreach and housing resources to the site, and to bring people indoors. We also met with community members last week to ensure that everyone is in the loop. As always, our office continues to work with the utmost urgency to bring everyone on our district’s streets indoors."