30 Nights with the Martinez / Pacheco Homeless Outreach - A Saturday Creek Walk

Day 27

9 p.m.: Tonight I didn't get started until late due to family  stuff. But when I got to the Amtrak Station, it was dead. So I headed out to do a creek walk. I started in Pacheco and walked out past Imhoff Road. I saw fourteen people tonight; I handed out everything from food to sun screen. I really like nights like this where I can just walk and there's nothing else going on -- it reminds me of when I  first started. All I did was walk the creeks and hand out supplies in Pacheco. But now things are so much more complicated; I deal with mental health and drug and alcohol issues. I realize that law enforcement is very important in dealing with the chronic homeless. I used to think I needed to stay away from police but one year in I met a cop that really worked hard for the homeless and I started learning from him.

Anyway, after I walked the creek to Imhoff I decided to go down to Lowes on Arnold Industrial Way to see if anyone had came back and to see if things have been cleaned. There was one guy there; I gave him some supplies. He told me barely anyone has come back, but from what I saw people had been coming back. You have to remember that this is private property so the police don't have to give a three day tag. It looked like the work crew had moved some trash but it still looks bad.

Back to Martinez. I know this is a Martinez blog, but some nights it's quiet and I got only one police call and it came in late afternoon and I was with my family and was unable to come. I think this has only happened a few times where I couldn't come and it's always been during the day and to tell you the truth Martinz police is the only agency I will take day calls for if I can. Sometimes I do work days so I can be out by mental health workers if I make a referral. It's hard sometimes because I'm the only person on for the whole county at night; all other services work days so I am forced to work days now and then.

Anyway, I walked along Highway Four to check an older man with heart issues. He's on nitro for heart attacks and I get worried about him being alone where no one can see or hear him but he also drinks and refuses services and he does a pretty good job of staying clean and taking his other meds.

Anyway, happy Father's Day to all the dads. Have a nice day. I was talking a guy who said he had three kids and they were coming to see him tomorrow, so I made sure he had clean clothes and soap to clean himself and I thought to myself I bet that's the best thing that's happened to this guy all year. Even though he's in a very bad way his kids still want to spend time with him. I wish it happened that way for everybody.