SAN ANTONIO – The smells of bodily waste, trash and now fire are just some reasons why people who live in the Spring Creek Forest community say something must be done about homeless people taking over a greenway behind their subdivision.
Neighbors said the growing problem has affected their quality of life and the value of their homes.
“I have grandchildren, and that's why I moved to this area. And I won't let them play outside because I’m afraid of anything happening to them with what goes on in that greenbelt,” said Pamela Lindenberg, a frustrated homeowner. "It's scary. It's very scary."
Her neighbor, Doug Brown, agrees that the greenbelt has become a trash pit.
“They're drug addicts. They beg on the corner. I even had somebody knock on my fence two years ago because they got poison ivy at midnight and asked me for medication,” Brown said.
A KSAT crew couldn't find any homeless people in the field Wednesday. The homeowners who live nearby said the indigents mostly come at night, and looking around the field, it's easy to tell that people have been here and have made a big mess.
Our crew saw litter, including old food, beer cans and even dirty underwear.
Brown said the problem reached a peak two days ago when one of the makeshift camps in the field went up in flames.
“I’m on my fence with the hose, trying to make sure the fire didn't get any closer to my fence and my house, but there was ash raining down all over my yard,” Brown said.
Things have cooled down since, but homeowners are hoping investigators can find a way to wash the problem away altogether.
San Antonio police say officers have no reported history of the problem aside from Tuesday, when homeowners voiced their concerns.
San Antonio police said they are now monitoring the issue and willing to work with the residents and help in any way possible.