Homeless people in California were found living in dangerously constructed riverside caves along the Tuolumne River in Modesto. The caves were accessible by makeshift stairs carved into the hillside and were filled with trash, furniture, drugs and other supplies.
Police and volunteers cleared out the caves over the weekend and removed 7,600 pounds of garbage.
They also tried to connect the homeless people with local services and find them safer housing. The discovery of the caves highlights the severe homelessness crisis in California, which has the highest number of homeless people in the US. The state faces a shortage of affordable housing and has spent billions of dollars trying to combat homelessness, but with little success.
