LINCOLN, CA (KTXL/CNN) - An elaborate homeless camp was spotted in a place you'd never expect.
The Lincoln Police Department said a homeless man made himself at home inside a hallowed-out section of the Highway 65 bypass.
"That was quite a shock. I didn't expect somebody to figure out a way to get in there," Alfonso Vargas said.
Police Chief Doug Lee said the man took off a metal grate and added a ramp to get inside the area.
The space was complete with a bed, stove and even a poster on the wall, but also a lot of trash: "Just garbage, needles, gallon bottles filled with urine, rotting food," Lee said.
Officers were tipped off when cleaning up another area of Auburn ravine, a hot spot for homeless in the city. They noticed a handmade bridge and the ramp.
A 72-hour notice to vacate the illegal campsite was posted last week..
The California Department of Transportation, also known as Caltrans, and a cleaning company went in and cleared it, filling two dump trucks full of garbage.
"Any time we encounter homeless individuals, we refer them to services," Lee said. "It's on our notice that we post."
The closest shelter to Lincoln is in Roseville, but the city offers counseling and food services.
Lee said because of shelter rules and drug and mental issues, many transients don't take advantage of those resources, instead relying on others for help, sometimes ending up right where they started.
"Most of the homeless people we deal with have some sort of connection to Lincoln," he said. "They have friends or relatives here who let them sleep on a couch or a garage or trailer in their backyard, and then they wear out their welcome and are back on the street. Again, we're not pushing them out to the next field over. They disappear for a while, probably into somebody else's house."
Vargas, who lives near the Highway 65 bypass, said he's noticed an increase in transients in the area.
He said he's not bothered by it, but is concerned and hopes for a change.
"I see that they're doing what they can, which is great. Hopefully they can find a solution that can help both parties involved," Vargas said.
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