For some Rolando residents living close to or doing business near the former Rite Aid at 6405 El Cajon Boulevard, they want action on a homeless encampment around the old drugstore.

As residents in Del Cerro (sdnews.com/some-del-cerro-residents-want-answers-to-growing-homeless-issue/) and other San Diego communities have seen in recent years, homelessness can take over a section or sections of a neighborhood in no time at all.

With an empty business now where the former drugstore once operated, chalk up yet another site where homelessness is becoming a hot community topic.

According to resident Susan Adams, the Rolando Rite Aid location was closed at the end of September. It was then that the front parking lot began to be taken over by more than a dozen homeless individuals. Adams indicated tents were pitched along with all of their belongings. The site also was reportedly set up as a bike chop shop.

Adams is one of those residents seeking answers to what she believes is an issue falling on too many deaf ears, notably those of local politicians.

“There is often drug usage, drug dealing, and prostitution,” Adams stated. “Cars come and go making whatever deals they are making. Get It Done reports are submitted almost on a daily basis by many of the local residents and myself. Non-emergency is called frequently and SDPD shows up and can only ask them to move on. As far as I know, no arrests are made even though they are trespassing.” Adams added that many people in the neighborhood have contacted Rite aid corporate and were informed that the company is working on the matter.

Catherine Carter, Rite Aid manager of public relations & external communications, stated the company does not own the property at 6405 El Cajon Blvd.

“We are taking measures to ensure a safe environment for our community including ongoing communication with local law enforcement, maintaining a security presence and continuous clean-up of the property. Should neighbors witness criminal activity, we encourage them to contact local law enforcement,” Carter commented.

As Adams sees it, the issue is not getting better and is only likely to worsen over time as more homeless potentially congregate in the area.

“In both the front and back parking lots on any given day, there are a minimum of 20 people and maybe a maximum of 40 or 50 as there are people who come and go,” Adams commented. “They have established a homestead with tenting and all of their belongings in both spaces. They are most active in the evening disturbing the peace, or they sometimes walk to the small strip on Solita Avenue of Clay Park and threaten each other, screaming that they will kill each other. This parking lot and back of post office (Andrew Jackson Post Office at 6401 El Cajon Boulevard) is in the walking space for families to bring their children to Clay Elementary daily.”

According to Adams, the homeless issue at the site of the former Rite Aid is but one of the areas in Rolando where homelessness is notable. As she sees it, the Rolando community is and has been fighting for action on the local homelessness issue for years.

“Unfortunately, the issue just continues to get worse,” Adams added. “If we’re not battling these issues in Clay Park itself which is adjacent to an elementary school, we are putting in Get It Done reports, we are attending our Rolando community council meetings and voicing our concerns, calling non-emergency when we see something that doesn’t seem right. While most of us are frustrated, we are willing to continue to fight for our neighborhood.”

Another resident with concerns regarding the growing Rolando homeless issue at the former Rite Aid is Monique Scronce.

Having lived in Rolando approximately 10 years, Scronce said there are tents, tarps, shopping carts, and piles of what appears to be trash all over the parking lot of the former business.

“They (homeless) have taken over the front of the store and parking lot and the back lot is now being occupied as the locked fence was no deterrent,” Scronce stated. “Many of these individuals are the same ones that used to frequent Clay Park, where I personally found a glass pipe and needles. The post office shares the parking lot with the abandoned building and I don’t feel safe using the post office that is two blocks from my house and drive to La Mesa instead.”

Emotions running high in community

As Scronce sees it, emotions are high in the community right now and have been for a while.

“People are tired of not feeling safe in their own neighborhood,” Scronce continued. “They drive to other parks with their children because they don’t feel they can use the local park due to the illegal activity that occurs there. There have been large encampments taking over areas of the park, individuals openly drinking alcohol, tossing garbage and dogs off leash.”

According to Scronce, it was only recently that her 90-year-old neighbor asked her to stay in the front yard with her while she did some yard work because there was a homeless individual that frequents the area standing across the street staring at the elderly woman, yelling and acting crazy.

“She said she is afraid and having her home alarm system is the only thing that makes her feel safe,” Scronce remarked. “She has lived in that location for approximately 70 years and told me she has never been afraid to be in her yard until recent years. She also was very upset that Rite Aid had closed. She shopped there and had prescriptions at that location. Our community continues to lose vital businesses and these buildings remain vacant and usually vandalized or become encampments. The Rite Aid corporate office (Pennsylvania) actually told a community member (when they called about the encampment problem) that they can’t get far enough away from that location. Homelessness and high loss due to theft is why they left stating they feel sorry for California because the laws on stealing do not protect businesses.”

One of the frustrations that several residents expressed is what they see as inaction from local officials.

“I send emails several times a week to Todd Gloria and District 9 representatives and rarely get a response,” Scronce noted. “If I do get a response, it’s a blanket statement about what their office is doing to combat homelessness. Several times I was told they are working with PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) and will send representatives to the area. I have never seen anyone from PATH and I even questioned the security guard at the park and he told me he’s never seen anyone from PATH as well.”

District 9 Council President weighs in

According to District 9 Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, his office began receiving emails about the Rite Aid closing a few months back as soon as it was announced to the community. He believes the community was rightfully upset that they were losing a vital business. He added his office was alerted of people gathering at the site by mid-October.

“Our office is working closely with community leaders, the Police Department, the Homeless Strategies and Services Department (HSSD), and the Development Services Department’s Code Enforcement division to address the concerns about encampments which has been complicated by the business leaving and transferring of some responsibilities to the property owner.”

Elo-Rivera noted HSSD was slated to perform its regular targeted outreach in the Rolando area in October but a maintenance issue with their dedicated transportation means that they will begin outreach offering services and housing to homeless individuals this month along El Cajon Boulevard.

As Elo-Rivera sees it, prevention is key to successfully addressing homelessness.

“We cannot make progress unless we stem the tide,” Elo-Rivera stated. “We must help people who are struggling financially to stay in their homes through more funding of our new Housing Instability Prevention Program which provides support to seniors, families with children, and people with disabilities who are struggling financially and for whom just a few hundred dollars can make the difference in keeping a roof over their heads. I introduced this program in this year’s budget and would like to see it expanded.”

Elo-Rivera added his office is also working on stronger tenant protections so that people who are paying their rent and complying with their leases are not needlessly evicted and put at risk of falling into homelessness.

While Scronce said her heart goes out to those individuals unsheltered, allowing them to remain on the streets helps no one.

“It is destroying neighborhoods, frustrating citizens as they lose all their rights, and meanwhile the homeless remain homeless,” Scronce remarked. “Whether it’s by choice, hardship, mental health issues, or drugs, this population needs real help. I want action from council members and I want it now. This problem (homelessness) has been going on for years, long before COVID, and we have gotten nowhere with our leaders. They can’t even respond.”

Doug Lister lived in Rolando Village for more than 20 years, grew up there, left in the 80’s and came back in 2001.

When asked about the homeless issue at the site of the former Rite Aid, Lister said he doesn’t see anything different there than he does anywhere else in the neighborhood that the homeless are “camping”.

“The unsheltered there are no different than any other place in the Rolando Village, however, the trash left behind, the mental health issues which they obviously suffer and the disturbances that they create throughout the neighborhood, cause people to avoid our neighborhood park and possibly look for other communities in which to live,” Lister pointed out.

According to Lister, he has been begging local officials to do more outreach for over 18 months.

“The idea that social workers are sitting in buildings waiting for the unsheltered to walk in and ask for services is pathetically ludicrous,” Lister commented. “I don’t mean once every six months. I mean every three weeks. Get out there and contact them all on a regular basis. Ask them, are you ok, do you need anything and can we call someone. Gain their trust. They won’t accept services from someone who they don’t trust. At the same time social workers will be able to recognize the signs of addiction and mental health maladies. A society is judged by how it treats its least fortunate and we’re failing miserably. If our city council and county supervisors staffers can go out and contact them yearly for a count, then surely trained professionals with a degree in social work can get out there and contact them.”

Lister went on to say he has 18 months of emails to city, county and state representatives, requesting something like this be done.

Longtime Rolando resident Debra Crespin is yet another frustrated resident when it comes to the homeless issue.

“The drugstore parking lot has become an encampment since it closed up,” Crespin stated. “The problem is up and down El Cajon Boulevard. At the drugstore, I have observed nudity, drug dealings, violent behavior and acts. They are now hanging tarps on the fencing so we’re not able to see in.”

When asked the impact this issue is having on the community, Crespin noted, “The situation is completely out-of-control. I am not unsympathetic but when they don’t respect us by what’s being done out in public, spewing obscenities as you walk by, constant harassment, even throwing things; it’s hard to be understanding. It’s our home, our neighborhood, we should be able to enjoy it and function without this type of fear and harassment.”

Businesses are being impacted too

Not only does the homeless issue at the former drugstore impact residents right around the area, it also has an impact on local business owners.

Corbin O’Reilly, owner of Corbin’s Q, noted, “It’s tough enough being a business owner let alone investing in a community hampered by such an issue. We want lots of businesses to thrive and bring happy customers to the area, but even more importantly are the great homeowners around here who need that security as well. So we sure could use some help on the issue.”

How soon such help comes to the area for residents and business owners fighting for their community remains to be seen.

Photos by Karen Austin

Editor’s note: The newspaper reached out to Mayor Gloria’s office and SDPD for comments but did not get responses prior to press deadline. PATH declined to comment on the article.