WHAT APPROACHES MIGHT BE TRIED IN THE FUTURE?
“Law enforcement must have an alternate place to take
folks who are not going to be arrested. If they don’t have
an alternate place to take them, those people stay
in our parks or near businesses and cause
issues. Sheltering is only a short-term
solution, however; if we don’t also con-
nect them to services, they will only end
up bottlenecking the system.”
– Denise Cloward, Amador and Tuolumne counties
“Shared housing — while not always desirable — has become
a reality for many of our state’s residents. Our department has
embraced this strategy, working together with funders such as
Sutter Health and nonprofit organizations such as Advocates
for Mentally Ill Housing. We procure the housing and transfer
it to nonprofit organizations like AMIH to operate while we
continue to provide services — including mental-health treat-
ment and case management — to the residents.”
– Jeff Brown, Placer County
“I believe it will be a combination of enforcement; cash
infusion; maybe building tiny houses in a tiny-house
village with a community center; opening regional ful-
ly staffed and fully funded shelters for each of our com-
munities that have on-site services like security, 24-hour
staffs of trained officers, health services like (tuberculo-
sis) tests and flu shots administered by nurses; computers;
job-search assistance; housing-search assistance; housing
advocates; transport services; day care; and more.”
– René Evans, El Dorado County
“We know there is not a single silver-bullet solution. Solving
homelessness requires not only innovation, but also a dogged
persistence and commitment to continue what is working.
This means that we will plug away at furthering the strategies
and activities in six key solution areas identified in our Coun-
ty (of Sacramento) Homeless Plan: preventing homelessness;
mitigating the street crisis; expanding and improving shel-
tering; expanding rehousing and new housing production;
improving the impact of mainstream services; and working
together to improve our system leadership, capacity and ac-
countability.”
– Patrick Kennedy, Sacramento County
“We’ll be implementing a low-barrier shelter, a sanctioned
camping area for the homeless, whether it is in tents or in cars.
Portable toilets and wash stations can be supplied, thereby
creating a more sanitary situation. Having a central location
will facilitate the application of mental-health services and
provide a mechanism (or) pathway for the reintegration of
the homeless.”
– Frank Axe, Amador County
“We’re working on creating a multidisciplinary team to
conduct frequent outreach services. This could include
local law enforcement, mental-health professionals, medi-
cal professionals, and health and social service professionals.”
– Lt. Jausiah Jacobson, Fairfield
“Enforcing all laws combined with a rehab option.
... In our recent (point-in-time) count, we actually
found that a majority of those in tents or lean-to type
dwellings are drug addicted. The number of substance
abusers is staggering, yet most municipalities refuse
to address this directly. While many say that the
government should fix (homelessness), it is an
issue that can only be solved with all hands
on deck. It takes everyone to make a long-
term change.”
– Mike Leahy, Yuba County
“Often what happens when people become homeless is that
they gradually lose their ties to community — they interact
less with family, friends and social-service and faith organi-
zations, and they lose the sense of belonging and social sup-
port that those relationships provide. Some of the most suc-
cessful housing seeks to re-establish a sense of community
connection. It’s easier to make good choices when you have
someone walking alongside you.”
– Sarah Bontrager, Elk Grove n
Jessica Laskey is a freelance writer based in Sacramento. Her
work has been published in Inside Publications, Sacramento
magazine, Sactown magazine and The Sacramento Bee. She’s
also the founding co-publisher of Indomita Press, an indepen-
dent local publishing company she runs with her husband. Find
out more at jessicalaskey.com.
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