A riverside cleanup along the Los Angeles River turned startlingly intimate when a volunteer discovered a couple living inside the hollow pillar of a bridge, tucked into a narrow crawl space they had turned into a makeshift home. The small chamber was packed with belongings and the kind of debris volunteers often find at hidden encampments, a stark reminder of how far out of sight some Angelenos have to go to shelter themselves under the city’s infrastructure.
The volunteer was Juan Naula, founder of the nonprofit Clean L.A. With Me, who said the scene stopped him cold. “This is not acceptable. I don’t accept it,” Naula told NBC, Los Angeles. He said he immediately offered the couple food and help.
Naula recalled that when he asked the woman inside the pillar if he could bring food, she agreed and told him she and her boyfriend had been living there for three years, according to NBC Los Angeles. Telemundo 52 used a 360-degree camera to show the cramped hideaway, which the report said was thick with the smell of urine and smoke from the fires the couple used to stay warm. Naula told the outlet he is now working with other nonprofits to pull together resources and assistance for people living in such conditions.
About Clean L.A. With Me
Naula has turned viral social media clips of his cleanups into a grassroots volunteer network that organizes regular trash pickups and collects donations for supplies and outreach. As reported by LA Public Press, the group’s events draw volunteers from across multiple neighborhoods and have helped bring hidden encampments to the attention of local media and service providers.
Hidden shelters and city response
The bridge pillar is only one example of the secluded spots where people are finding shelter, according to advocates who say similar setups appear in culverts, drainage pipes, and underpasses across the region. The Los Angeles Times reported that city crews nearly sealed a manhole last Wednesday while preparing to block a drain in South L.A. that officials said had become an encampment, underscoring both the danger of these locations and the complicated work of clearing them safely. The Times also noted that crews have at times offered mental health referrals and shelter options during cleanup operations.
Naula said he plans to coordinate with fellow groups in an effort to get the couple into safer housing or services, and he urged Angelenos to donate essentials or show up at cleanups. For ways to help or to see his event schedule, visit Clean L.A. With Me.
