River Assessment Field Team (R.A.F.T.)

Guided by a staff person, volunteers on the River Assessment Field Team help scout for trash and other issues by hiking into the riverbed on Tuesdays and Fridays. They collect data using our own smartphone app, which informs future clean-ups by the River Rescue Team and our efforts to support programs working to clean and reduce the number of people living in the riverbed.

Location varies by event.

Our Strategy to Reduce the Number of People living in the Riverbed:

1. Collect data. Share this data to increase awareness of the amount of trash and the population of people that live in the riverbed and to support multiple agencies addressing these issues.

2. Treat people as people. The people living in the riverbed are members of our community. We start from a value that all people should be respected. We seek to help people by connecting them with services that can help them start on a road to getting away from living in flood-prone areas. We  warn people of life-threatening floods from the upcoming storms. We also create and hand out care kits with needed hygiene items which helps build trust. 

3. Collaborate. We actively seek partnerships to be part of the solution. The people living in the riverbed are often called "those that are hardest to reach." That has been our experience. It requires constant effort, innovative strategies and data to make a difference. Our data was used by the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego to obtain a $17M grant to help people living in the riverbed, which has resulted in hundreds of people moving into housing since 2024. 

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If you are interested in learning more and helping with these vital efforts, please let us know. Our dream is that one day no one will find themselves living in areas that flood, without potable water and restrooms, and in terrible living conditions.