Homeless Issues #140

Homeless Issue #140                                          03/04/19

Supervisor Hidahl arranged for the El Dorado county to make available to the Nomadic Shelter, a surplus 12 passenger van to transport our homeless to shelter locations. Thank you, thank you Supervisor Hidahl!!
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Supervisor John Hidahl assembled the Nomadic Shelter, the new county “Homeless Coordinator,” (a law firm based in San Francisco, not El Dorado County), and other county officials for a question and answer session to learn what is in store or out of store for our homeless population. The county does have a program for homeless women with children, and families, but nothing for the single, individual person, or those mentally challenged, those we see and interact with on our streets. A factor? The county offices are open from 9 to 5. Our homeless population is most vulnerable/at risk between 5:00 PM and 7:00 AM the next morning.

I had direct questions to ask at this assembly. And I wanted a direct Answer.

“What County program, or programs, that directly impact the SINGLE HOMELESS PERSON ON THE STREET, and their brothers and sisters who are mentally challenged, are projected to be begin at the present time or by next year?”

Factors not taken in consideration: Homeless data used by the County comes from the steel file cabinet and the computer. Data collected by the Nomadic Shelter comes directly from the homeless population. We have over 70 signatures of homeless persons who are not, nor have been, connected to HMIS (A Federal Government requirement) files. Are these persons to be discarded? The HMIS interviewers will not share information with the Nomadic Shelter providers but have taken information from the Nomadic Shelter files. The Nomadic Shelter needs to know how many male/females, age groups, and information useful to housing/sheltering a large group of persons. We should be talking about County funds, not Federal funds. Federal funds are needed to supplement the spent County funds. And yes, that is necessary.

This is what I received as answers to my questions. By the way, all questions from me were filtered through Supervisor Hidahl to the “Experts.” That was the condition of the questioning.
 
Answer:
None, Nada, Zip!
 
Your County taxes you pay, go to a law firm in San Francisco whose reps visits El Dorado County 4 times a year——-NOT for the use of an empty county building, or even for an “in-house,” coordinator, located right here in our midst, seeing/experiencing our single homeless population first-hand.

County’s suggested solution: Take the homeless individual to the County H&HS offices where they would need to provide information that qualifies them for those State and Federally funded programs. Our single homeless are mentally/emotionally challenged and do not frequent the County Offices. They are county citizens who can’t navigate the county bureaucracy, and in some cases, is the reason they are dumped on the street.

Can’t El Dorado County treat their homeless citizens with dignity and respect–many who have paid taxes, and now find themselves destitute; yet they are not receiving anything from their County????
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We now have 138 persons who have completed the Nomadic Shelter intake form which includes an identifying photo attached in most cases. The photo is necessary to identify and connect the name and face of the troublemakers and those who are banned due to violence by words or deeds from the various Nomadic Shelter locations. We would welcome the persons taking the HMIS information to share with the Nomadic Shelter the ages and gender of those persons they have in their files. One shelter location refuses to have their homeless guests fill in the Nomadic Shelter intake form but require the homeless persons attending their location to fill out a far more invasive questionnaire such as the HMIS form. We can’t get all Shelter locations to agree to one policy. This is where the county could step in.
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Get after your County Supervisor to assist in sheltering our single homeless citizens. Yes, yes, I understand that if one becomes homeless in El Dorado county, one is not considered to be a citizen by some. Or is just non-existent.
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If you have never lived IT you will never understand IT. Where to relieve yourself and how to clean yourself? Wet socks, dirty feet, athletes’ feet, smell! Hunger: Will eat anything you can get down! No bath in weeks or months! Same clothing on as when you had stomach problems with diarrhea! Fall asleep on concrete! Too cold to sleep. Too hot to move. I have been there. Now ask why I am passionate about Homelessness. Therefore, JSS persons are out three times a week giving out the necessities of living on the street. Thank you, Jerry/Betty, Bruce, Richard, John and our support Steve-Rea. God Bless us ALL.