SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Homeless Outreach Team is going out to communities to bring the unhoused off the street. It comes as newly sworn-in Sheriff Jim Cooper says homelessness is one of his top priorities.
Deputies visit encampments and give the unhoused pamphlets with a list of free resources offered in the county they might not know about. They are then given a week’s notice to vacate the area.
“We don't want them to fear us,” said Deputy Marcelina Martinez. “We want them to think of us as their friends, someone that they can reach out to, 'Hey, Deputy Martinez, I'm having a hard time. Is there any way that you can provide me with contact information for getting a job?'”
The team says those experiencing homelessness do not accept the help more often than not.
“It's frustrating because we really want to help these individuals,” Martinez said. “There are so many resources in Sacramento County, but a lot of the individuals just don't want to take advantage of it. A lot of the times when we come back, when we are at the camps when we do clean up and we go to another campsite, we encounter the same individuals over and over again.”
There are 3,400 shelter beds available in Sacramento County, with space available, according to county officials. However, privacy concerns and pet restrictions mean some unhoused residents prefer the outdoor option.
“It's very stressful,” said Amy Parker, who is currently homeless. “Because we have, we go to one spot, and then the cops tell us that we have to move again, that we’re trespassing.”
Parker says she's been without a home for almost a year and is waiting for permanent housing.
“I don't really want to be homeless,” she said. “Homeless is not fun. It's not. It's not what I want.”
The outreach team also offers to bring those who are homeless directly to an available shelter or rehab facility if they struggle with addiction.
Most people ABC10 spoke with at encampments say they are forgoing the services and planning to set up a new camp elsewhere.
“I don't even know somewhere close to move my stuff,” said Christopher Jenkies.
Jenkies says he has already been told to move several times in the year he has been homeless and does not know where he will go next.
“Not everybody out here is the bum,” he said. “I worked my whole life as an electrician and circumstances led one thing to another and here I am.”
Homeless advocates maintain permanent housing is the long-term solution for the nearly 9,300 people who are homeless in Sacramento County.
Find information and resources in Sacramento County HERE.
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