LIVERMORE — A Livermore post office will shutter its 24-hour lobby at night because of an increase in homeless people sleeping and using the atrium as a toilet.

The post office lobby at 220 S. Livermore Ave., where customers have P.O. boxes and weigh parcels in a self-service kiosk, has been open 24/7 for at least 20 years, said Livermore Postmaster Steve Mitchell. But over the past year, the area has been turned into a makeshift night shelter with up to four people sleeping there.

Starting Feb. 27, the lobby will be closed from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. daily, except until 6 a.m. on Sundays.

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Berkeley: Homeless hope for better treatment from new council The problem is not the sleeping, but the urinating, defecating and occasional needles found the morning after, Mitchell said.

People have been reporting the problem over the past year, but in recent months things have escalated, Mitchell said. Livermore police have been called several times to cite the homeless, and employees opening the office in the morning have felt intimated at times, Mitchell said. He said he wants to avoid his employees or customers getting hurt.

“I feel bad. I don’t know what else to do,” Mitchell said. “I’ve had customers calling the health department.”

There are about 4,000 homeless people in Alameda County, according to the latest numbers from 2015. A homeless survey conducted by the city last year found 117 homeless people in Livermore. Forty percent of them either have family in Livermore or grew up here, meaning a majority of the homeless population comes from elsewhere in the region, said Mayor John Marchand.

The Tri-Valley has six shelters, all of which are located in Livermore. But only six of those surveyed indicated they had slept in a shelter.

Marchand said homelessness is a regional issue, not just one for Livermore to tackle. In 2014, the mayor organized a Summit on Homelessness, calling together community leaders from the Tri-Valley, nonprofits and religious leaders.

“It’s in Livermore’s DNA to look out for other people,” the mayor said. “It’s why we’re such a remarkable community. But we need to work together at a regional level.”

This week, the Livermore City Council approved a “homeless czar,” a city employee who will coordinate efforts between the city and service providers, seek out additional funding at the county and federal level, and work with developers to increase the amount of affordable housing units that are available, Marchand said.

He pointed out that some homeless suffer from mental health issues or drug abuse, and that local cities “lack the resources to provide these wrap-around services.”

Ralph Johnson, director of homeless and family support services at Tri-Valley Haven in Livermore, said the 16-bed family shelter is almost always full. The Livermore Homeless Refuge also provides shelter during cold or wet weather, rotating between four churches.

For more information on homelessness resources in Alameda County, visit the county’s social services website.