A homeless woman near San Diego known as the Bottoms said she believes she and other bums are “pampered” by the city with toll-free phones and other resources.
Marine Corps veteran Kate Monroe shared a video of her talking to several homeless people in the area, one of whom, Mary, described the situation as “not too difficult.”
“I guess we’re spoiled to be honest with you,” the woman added as she chatted with Monroe. “My sister says, “Where can I sign up?”
According to recent estimatesSan Diego has more than 2,000 people living on the streets in tents and encampments.
On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council was scheduled to vote on a proposed “Unsafe Camping Ordinance,” which has been described as banning camping for the homeless.
Mary, a homeless woman near San Diego known as the Bottoms, said she believes she and other bums around the city have been “spoiled” with toll-free phones and other resources
Marine Corps veteran Kate Monroe recently visited the Bottoms and spoke to homeless people about their experiences living outside in downtown San Diego
According to recent estimates, more than 2,000 people live on the streets in San Diego in tents and encampments throughout the area
Monroe spoke to Fox News Digital about the situation in the area she passed through, saying she bypassed hypodermic needles to talk to locals.
Other shocking sights found at the scene included human waste.
“I’ve witnessed what I think is some of the worst homelessness in the country,” Monroe told Fox of the city she’s called home for 20 years.
Despite the circumstances, Mary said she and other bums are gaining access to resources that some may consider enviable.
“Most of the time we are low income and if you are low income you get free phones, free food, free clothes, there are so many resources that are just give and give and give,” said the homeless woman.
However, others who spoke to Monroe disagreed with Mary’s description, saying they saw sexual assaults, robberies and brutal beatings.
“It’s not easy being here,” said a man who spoke to the Marine vet.
Monroe, the CEO of a San Diego company that helps homeless veterans, said the situation in the downtown area is dire.
“Forget it’s in San Diego. It doesn’t look like it’s in America,” she said. “There’s so much trash and human waste and trash and just the stench of it.”
“Usually we are low income and if you are low income you get free phones, free food, free clothes, there are so many resources that are just give and give and give,” said Mary
“It’s not easy being here,” said a man who spoke to the Marine vet
“I’ve witnessed what I think is some of the worst homelessness in the country,” Monroe told Fox of the city she’s called home for 20 years
As she walked through the area, Monroe said she avoided human waste and hypodermic needles
Anthony, another homeless person Dahlgren and Monroe spoke to, said he had been living on and off the street for nearly 25 years.
He accuses local politicians of not solving the crisis.
“They’re throwing money at the problem, but they have to get their hands dirty to really find out what the people really need,” said Anthony.
In April, data from the Downtown San Diego Partnership revealed that more people were living outdoors this year than in the past 10 years.
Portland homeless advocate Kevin Dahlgren accompanied Monroe on her recent trip to the Bottoms and said he was “shocked by how bad it is there.”
“Many of these counties just hide the problem and convince people that it really isn’t that bad. And they are mostly cities that rely heavily on tourism,” he said.
Monroe said she believes San Diego is not getting enough attention for the homeless crisis and therefore doesn’t feel the pressure to address it.
She also added that she believes city leaders can get away with it ‘just sweep it under the carpet.’
Anthony, another homeless person Dahlgren and Monroe spoke to, said he had been living on and off the street for nearly 25 years
In April, data released by the Downtown San Diego Partnership revealed that more people were living outdoors this year than in the past 10 years
The Bottoms is an area in downtown San Diego near Petco Park
On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council was due to vote on a proposed “unsafe camping ordinance,” which has been described as banning camping for the homeless
The shocking video shared with FOX was released just hours before the San Diego City Council voted to ban tents on the street.
The encampments would be near sschools, homeless shelters, transit stations, waterways or in parks.
The plan has received the support of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who has shared his belief that the city needs safer and more hygienic streets.
“They expect to be able to walk unobstructed on the sidewalk, they expect to be able to take their children to school safely, they expect to be able to use our parks in a hygienic and clean and safe way,” Mayor Gloria said.