30 Nights with the Martinez / Pacheco Homeless Outreach - A Long, Busy Night

Day 29

7:30 p.m.: Tonight was a little different. I got this afternoon from the jail about a guy who wanted services, so they called me, since he was set to get out today. I worked on his case for a couple of hours; he wanted alcohol services and shelter, so I addressed both. We had it set up to where he would get out around 8 p.m. and he did. When he got out I was able to offer him shelter for one night in Richmond, and then staff there would transport him to alcohol treatment the next morning. After what seemed like endless calls, he said no. That's when I get frustrated -- people ask for help, we get it for them, and it's a no. I don't really think this guy knew what an opportunity this was; most people get out to nothing. On top of that, the jail was nice enough to call and have someone work on these services for him. I guess he's not done yet.

After that I went to the Amtrak Station; there were only a couple people out, so I made contact with them. They didn't need much. Then I walked through downtown. I came across a few people, but no one needed anything, so I started going to parks. I started out at Rankin, then went out to the Marina park, where I met a nice couple living out of their car. I gave them some numbers for help and gave them some supplies.

Then I went to Hidden Valley Park and came across a guy I knew from Pacheco. He was just hanging out; I gave him supplies and was on my way. I went down to Howe Road and talked to a guy that's living in his car. He did not want shelter or any other services because he would have to give up his cat. This is actually a huge problem -- there are a lot of people who have small pets that can't get services because they won't get rid of their pet, and I don't think they should have to. In some cases some folks are mentally ill and that little pet may be the only thing holding them together. I hate to see people passed by for services because they have a pet.

After I talked to him I spoke to a guy in an RV. We talked for a few minutes and he asked me  how to get health care. I told him he needed to go to financial at the hospital. Then I went to Vine Hill and Pacheco, stopped a couple of people and gave them some supplies . At 2 a.m. I got a call from Martinez police about a guy in front of the police station. The guy said he didn't feel safe, some guys were bothering him. I asked if he spoke to the police. He said no, that he just asked where a safe spot was. So I ended up taking him to the hospital; he had a pretty bad burn, plus he was a vet and the hospital can tap into those services for him.

But as I was talking to him, I noticed another guy sleeping by the fountain in front of the police departmnet, so I woke him up. He said he was taking a break. I said "a break from what?" He said he was riding his bike to San Jose. I said "long ride, but this is not a good spot for a rest." I asked if he needed anything; he said no and was gone. It was a long night, but I made a lot of contacts and handed out a lot of supplies.

Tomorrow is it for this blog.