30 Nights with the Martinez / Pacheco Homeless Outreach - Mental Health Calls

Day 14

8:00 a.m.: This morning I had to go out to meet with mental health on a guy but I couldn't locate the guy and after two hours of looking I had to give up . But while I was out I noticed that they were cutting all the bushes and shrubs behind the bus stops at the Amtrak Station. This is something that needed to be done while there was no one camping in them. Now it's off to bed.

7 p.m.: I started at the City Council meeting. I try to report on homeless issues and what I have been doing every month -- the Mayor even said he read my blog. Sometimes it's hard to get a city involved in the homeless issues but this council has taken action along with the Chief of Police. It has been a great partnership, I have to say.

Now it's off to Amtrak where there are eight people out tonight and they all are just hanging out there, nothing major going on -- no fighting, no rides to BART tonight, nothing. So I handed out some supplies and then I head downtown where a couple of weeks ago I helped a guy get on some meds to keep him from being psychotic. But I could tell it was time to go back to mental health so I told him I would get an apointment as soon as possible. Believe it or not he was thankful; I hope he follows through. I don't want him to get in trouble because of missed meds .

Then it was off to Howe Road. I stopped a couple of people -- they only wanted socks and me gone I could tell they were up to no good. Then I checked Mountain View Park -- there was a lady there. We talked for a few minutes and she asked me for my card. She wasn't homeless but said she was close, so I gave her some numbers for rental assistance. Then I had to take a call in Vine Hill from a local store -- there was a guy panhandling in front of  the store so I talked to the guy; I don't think he was homeless, from what I could understand he just wanted a beer, so I got him to move on before I had to call the sheriff.

Now I get a call from the police department -- a woman came in on the train and was stranded. I get to Amtrak and this was one of the few times where the person was too mentally ill to meet criteria to be in the shelter. They would have sent her straight to the hospital. I felt bad but the police took her to a motel, she had a ticket for the next day to leave. Another normal day in Martinez.