District 2 photo
By Haleigh Pike
District 2 public information officer
The role of a Caltrans homeless encampment manager is one of importance but often goes underappreciated and unnoticed.
This position is responsible for coordinating with outreach teams, contractors and local governments to execute a standardized response plan for unsheltered people living along state highways or on state property. The response includes providing advance notice to those living on state property before removing their items, offering outreach and shelter referrals, overseeing removal, and ensuring personal property is tagged and stored properly.
While Caltrans cannot solve homelessness, the role emphasizes connecting people to social services and treating them with dignity. Encampments can cause significant safety hazards, including fires, debris buildup and even undermining structural elements that can cripple major transportation arteries.
In the 2023–2024 fiscal year, California spent approximately $3.3 billion on various housing and homelessness programs, including those related to addressing homeless encampments. Across the state, homeless encampment coordinators help ensure consistent application of Caltrans policies, balancing public safety with compassion.
Jeff Miller has been serving as District 2’s homeless encampment manager since 2023. A Caltrans veteran, Miller’s career spans nearly two decades, marked by steady growth, a commitment to public service, and a willingness to take on new challenges.
Miller began his journey with Caltrans in 2006 as a Maintenance worker in Weaverville. After about four years, he promoted to equipment operator, then took on a leadworker role in Platina. In 2011, Miller moved to Redding East as leadworker, and by 2018, he was serving as Redding East supervisor.
When the homeless encampment manager position became available, Miller decided it was time to try something different.
“I like the job and I’m happy with the switch,” he said. “It’s a different type of work, but it’s still about serving the public and keeping our roadways safe.”
One of the advantages of this position being housed within Maintenance is the ability to coordinate with other crews on preventative work. For example, vegetation clearing can remove the cover that makes certain areas attractive for encampments, reducing the likelihood they’ll return. This not only limits repeat responses for Miller, but also decreases the number of times other crews must respond to the same areas, like the fence crew.
By leveraging Maintenance resources for proactive measures, District 2 can address problem areas more efficiently and help prevent future encampment-related issues.
On average, District 2 handles the removal of several encampment sites each month. Each removal involves close coordination with contractors, CHP and local outreach agencies to ensure residents are informed and offered available resources. The process often begins with a site identification and outreach notification, followed by “Notice to Vacate” postings 48 hours in advance, and ends with cleanup and debris removal.
Miller’s role is as much about people as it is about property.
“A lot of people tell me they don’t know how I deal with the people, but most of these people are not bad people, they’re just on bad times,” he explained.
He often hears comments like, “They’re just going to come back” or “I couldn’t do that.” His perspective is shaped by years in maintenance: “A lot of the work we do is repetitive. We maintain the roadways, so we maintain, and that includes repetitive work.”
While the job has its challenges, Jeff approaches it with steady professionalism and empathy, qualities that have defined his entire Caltrans career.