FAIRFIELD, Calif. — Fairfield’s Homeward Bound program works to reunite people homeless in the city with their loved ones — regardless of where they are.
The Solano County “Point in Time Count” surveys how many people are unhoused. The 2022 survey found a slight increase compared to 2019’s numbers. Overall, since 2017, the homeless population in Solano County has stayed relatively stable.
Still, more than 1,100 people in Solano County are either in shelters or living on the streets — with nearly 300 in Fairfield alone — according to the Community Action Partnership of Solano, Joint Powers Authority.
“[Last year] we had nearly 4,000 calls for service for homelessness,” said Lt. Kelly Rombach with the Fairfield Police Department. “It's our job as an organization to identify the need to reduce calls for service and to reduce the delivery of resources.”
As a result of so many calls over the years, and the feeling for testing a more hands-on approach, the Homeless Intervention Team (HIT) was developed.
Rombach leads the team of four officers trained in social work to “balance proactive outreach with enforcement of the law while connecting members of the homeless population with resources that may help them transition from homelessness.”
A transition from homelessness may look like having shelter for the night, being connected to services in the city or getting a plane ticket to head back to family. That last point is what they aim to do — reconnect people with their families, hence project “Homeward Bound.”
The team was formed back in 2014 and the idea to reunite folks experiencing homelessness with their families came about after an encounter with a man in a coffee shop.
“[The HIT officers] engaged with that person, spoke with him and learned his story. They learned that he was from Colorado and that he came to California to work and to be with a loved one, but unfortunate circumstances occurred,” said Rombach. “Outside of the box thinking was, ‘Well, I wonder if we can reconnect you with your home and reunite you with family.’”
Ever since officers sat and learned the man’s story, the small team has been connecting with the population and checking in on a “regular basis.”
Rombach says he and his team are out in the community, engaging and interacting with people to the point that “probably 99% of the homeless people in our city know who our Homeless Intervention Team are.”
He says the team's goal is to be seen more as a “service provider versus a law enforcement officer” to help people get what they need, which varies from person to person.
With the help of thousands of dollars in grants, the HIT has been buying bus, plane and other transportation tickets to help people get back to their loved ones no matter where they are.
“Throughout the years, we have sent people to Texas, Tennessee, Nevada, throughout the state of California, North Dakota, Alaska, South Carolina, Illinois, Maine, Utah, Arizona, Washington state and other places throughout the nation to reunite and reconnect people,” said Rombach. “That's kind of the philosophy that we take and the approach that we try.”
HIT reunited 22 people with their families throughout 2022 and continues to try and connect people with services best suited to their needs.
This opportunity is voluntary to the individual and the family member they’re being reconnected with.
Rombach says there is no specific checklist for sending someone back home, but there must be a point of contact to establish, no safety concerns and willingness to proceed by both parties.
“Homelessness is real and it is seen by the community,” he said. “And I think we will never solve the homeless problem, ever. We as a community, as a society, have to accept the fact that there will always be individuals experiencing homelessness, and that hopefully, we have strong programs in place, and strong initiatives and good funding to try and soften the impact and help everyone work through the problem.”
Homeless Outreach Partnership Engagement (HOPE) is one of many ways the police department engages with the homeless community and gives information about programs, health care services and more.
HOPE's next event is June 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Solano County Lawn located at 600 Texas Street in Fairfield.
To learn more about what homeless services, opportunities and programs Fairfield offers, click HERE.
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