30 Nights with the Martinez/Pacheco Homeless Outreach — A Busy Sunday Night

Day 22

8:30 p.m.: It was a busy night. I started at the Amtrak Station, where there were eight out that I saw when I pulled in. I instantly saw two homeless guys having a fight so I went over and got them going opposite ways, which was good; things can get out of hand fast down there. Then two guys came up to me and — you guessed it — inmates, so I looked at their paperwork from the jail and had them wait. I also spoke with a guy who was at the hospital earlier today; he was supposed to be going to shelter in Antioch, which is just for people who are mentally ill, but I could not verify this, so I just fed him and made sure he could take the bus in the morning to Antioch. Then another guy comes up who was in need of a coat. All I had was a hoodie but it worked and I was able to get his information; also he might want to go to shelter soon, which would be good. A lot of these guys don't want to go to shelter for various reasons ranging from too many drugs to they don't play well with others, but I believe it is the safest and best place to start getting your life back if you're on the streets.

I have been getting a lot calls to go up by Nob Hill grocery store so I went up there and walked around. I did see some homeless people but most were here for services tomorrow; the county is on Center Avenue so sometimes they come and wait so they don't miss their appointment. But with that said, I did find two pretty good sized camps, both messy, but no one there. I assume they're out recycling; most recycle at night so they can dumpster dive, but these camps were on the hill behind Kinders and Nob Hill. It was amazing they got a couch up that hill. Wow!  So I left my card and a note asking them to clean up and I would be back to haul the trash in two days (see pictures).

Then I jumped down in the train tracks off of Howe Road and walked down a couple of miles; there was no one, which is great, because six months ago there were camps. Hopefully those people got services.

Then I got a call to come back to Amtrak; someone had taken another person's blankets that were stashed so I went back and gave this guy a couple of blankets. He was mad — to a normal person it would be like if someone took your home. Those blankets are survival.

Then I ran down to the border of Pacheco and Martinez and stopped at a few camps. I just handed out supplies but no takers on services. This time of year I sound like a broken record, asking people if they want to go to shelter, but I know they don't. But come September they'll be begging me to get them in. Sometimes it is frustrating — they are there to get out of the weather, not fix their housing. Some of these guys I have put in shelter four or five times. I really think they're just afraid of change; we all are to a certain point, but for them it is turning control over to someone else and that is scary. But then I also think that most got themselves there. Maybe if they gave control to someone else they would get a better result. Sometimes it gets frustrating begging people to get off the streets and to sober up. It's hard for both sides. I hate to watch people die slowly and it feels like that's what I'm doing sometimes.