A handful of tents sit tucked along the edges of Chico’s bike path, just off East Avenue. It’s one of three sites most recently targeted by the city to clear out unhoused residents and their belongings. In total, 11 people will have to move.
Ashley Rishton is one of them. She said she’s been swept by the city 11 times.
Rishton’s boyfriend who camps with her, Alex Hall, said being moved repeatedly destabilizes their lives. They’ve had their belongings thrown away by clean-up staff during sweeps.
“Every time we think we’re ahead, we always fall right back behind,” Hall said. “We have to travel light now. We have to keep moving. Honestly, it's like we're rodents.”
Rishton and Hall were directed by city staff to stay at the congregate Torres Community Shelter, but don’t want to go because they’d have to sleep separately in the gendered dorms.
They both lived previously in the city’s “Genesis” Pallet shelter site, but were removed for a code of conduct violation. Rishton said although she’s eligible to live there again, her multiple applications to re-enter over the last few months have been met with no response.
She said she doesn’t know where she and Hall will go after their current camp is cleared. Typically the city clears a site after 10 days of giving notice.
It’s been longer since those camping at two bike path locations and one by Little Chico Creek received notice.
