Exploring the issue of Homelessness in San Joaquin County
Goal: To address the true causes of homelessness in San Joaquin County not the symptoms, while enhancing the quality of life for all county residents. Homelessness Causations: • • • • • •
Choice Mental Health Issues Alcohol and Substance Abuse Issues Lack of marketable job skills Outstanding criminal issues Inability to clear licensing and bonding certification
Law Enforcement: As has been stated in past meetings, being homeless in itself is not a law enforcement issue as solely being homeless is not a crime. Unfortunately, many homeless people do commit misdemeanor and felony crimes that directly affect the quality of life of many residents. Because some homeless people do commit crimes, there is a community perception that wherever homeless people gather there are increases in crime. The public then calls on law enforcement to address their concerns.
Law Enforcement Continued: There are currently many city and county ordinances as well as state Penal Code sections that do address the crimes that homeless people most often commit. An overall county wide enforcement strategy needs to be adopted to enforce these laws with a new goal of providing the homeless the avenues needed to be able to resolve their root issues and put them back on the path of self-sufficiency. This may include booking all transients into jail to be held for arraignment in a specialized homeless court upon a complaint being issued by the District Attorney’s office.
District Attorney: The District Attorney’s Office must also be a part of the law enforcement strategy in that once a homeless person has been arrested and booked, a complaint should be issued charging the appropriate violation and directing the prosecution to a specialized homeless court.
Superior Court: A specialized homeless court is necessary as upon conviction for the referred charges. The court would be able to sentence the individual first to a true homeless screening process. This will identify the individual’s root cause of being homeless and then allow sentencing the individual to a specific program or programs to give them the best possible chance to return to self-sufficiency. The individual upon successful completion of the directed program(s) would then be returned to the homeless court where the judge may then vacate any convictions associated with the original arrest and prosecution, again to provide the individual the best opportunity to become self-sufficient.
Superior Court Continued: Individuals that choose not to participate in program opportunities or who do not successfully complete such programs would then be remanded to custody to finish any remaining sentence at the county jail. Currently, there is available jail space as the current jail population is below the rated capacity. Additionally, an amendment to the current jail population court cap may need to be made to facilitate these individuals being exempt from the court cap and then completing their full sentences.
Housing Site: The current County Minimum Security Facility has available empty bed space (currently “J, K& L� barracks – 138 Beds are empty). Further, with the future construction of a medium security facility the majority of the Honor farm campus will be abandoned as a jail. This would be a model location for a transitional housing / program center to address homeless issues. The current facilities could be utilized to house program participants. There is available food service at the facility that already meets the Title 15 CCR meal requirements.
Housing Site Continued: The County Hospital is within two miles and medical care can be paid for through coverage available to the individuals such as Covered California. There is a laundry facility on site that could be used or the housing areas could be easily modified to have standard washers and dryers installed for use by the individuals. The supervision and operation of the transitional housing facility must be conducted by the appropriate community based organizations that are already focused on assisting the homeless so the participants would be afforded the dignity and respect needed as they participate in the opportunities provided to them by this process.
Housing Site Continued: The transitional housing center must not be operated as a jail facility but rather as an educational campus designed to instruct the participants on how to address their issues which originally caused them to be homeless, and therefore have a buy-in to the process.
Homeless Assessment Tool: A valid homeless assessment tool will need to be developed and adopted for use in this process. The current task force chaired by Supervisor Miller would be the best resource to facilitate the tool and how it would be administered.
Homeless Assessment Tool Continued: Further, once the tool has been adopted, this same body would then be tasked to develop the individual programs addressing the various causes of being homeless for delivery to the participants in the program. These programs could be delivered on the site of the transitional housing center or may need to be delivered at different sites in the county that are more conducive to the success of the individual in the program. This would require the use of public transportation for the program participants.
Transportation: There is currently only part time public transportation (RTD bus) service available to the jail complex. It may be necessary to request that RTD consider creating a small transportation hub on the Sheriff’ Office Campus to meet the needs of such a program as well as enhance service to parties being released from jail to be able to return to their residences.
Program Delivery: All programs associated with this plan should be developed and delivered by the appropriate county agency in conjunction with an appropriate community based organization. It is important that program participants see this as a process designed to help them return to self-sufficiency by addressing their individual needs and not a jail sentence that only keeps them off the street temporarily with no options for change.
Program Funding: The costs to support such a program would need to be identified and borne in a collaborative manner between the various county departments and all the cities to address the homeless issue here in San Joaquin County.
Sobering Center / Detox Facility: An additional need that will have a dual impact for the county is the operation of a true full time sobering center / detox facility. The “G,H &I� barracks area would provide appropriate space for such a facility. It has access from the east side of the compound that would facilitate entry for intake, an established eating area within the unit itself and enough bed space (99 Beds not counting I barracks which is not in use with a 70 bed capacity) and some that could be made into program space.
Sobering Center / Detox Facility Continued: This would allow homeless persons who are taken into custody for public intoxication to be identified as homeless and diverted to the homeless assessment process, thereby allowing them to participate in all available programs on a volunteer basis. Having such a center will allow the main jail to stop accepting any bookings for public intoxication and release via PC 849(b)2. Any persons who would not comply with the direction of Center staff would then be booked into the jail but on a straight misdemeanor PC 647(f) charge with a requirement to appear in court, where again the judge upon conviction would be able to direct parties to the homeless assessment and/or other available treatment programs for substance abuse.
STATISTICS
2006
PC 647(f) Bookings 1624
PC 647(f) 849(b)2 Bookings 2199
2007
1887
2567
4454
2008
2140
2806
4946
2009
1636
2284
3920
2010
1073
2124
3197
2011
949
1922
2871
2012
958
1897
2855
2013
851
1839
2690
2014
870
1655
2525
2015
856
1523
2379
12844
20816
33660
Cumulative Totals:
Annual Totals: 3823
DISCUSSION & COMMENTS