30 Nights with the Martinez/Pacheco Homeless Outreach — Problems All Over Town

Day 23

8 p.m.: Tonight I started on Alhambra Avenue at the Park 'n Ride. I walked Mount Wanda and the surrounding area with only one contact, but it was good. I ended up taking the guy to his brother's house in Pacheco.

When I came back I walked down the train tracks for a while. I did not see anyone but saw some camps; it looked like they hadn't been used for a while.

Then I drove down to the hospital. I go in sometimes and see if anyone is there hanging out tonight -- no one. So I went back at Nob Hill, where I wanted see if anyone was in those camps from last night. There was no one in the camps but as I was leaving I saw a guy walking through the parking lot. I stopped and asked if he was OK; he said he was and I asked if he was camping up on the hill. He said no, but I suspect he was lying. It is a big deal for these guys to stay hidden. I did end up giving him some socks and water.

At the Amtrak Station there were only two out in the lot; I was thinking, this will be fast. Wrong. There was a guy inside waiting to go to BART. He just got out of jail. I saw his paperwork and asked him to wait. He was a little mad that he had to wait until I was done and gave me a little bit of a problem about it. I told him he would have to take the bus in the morning and he was sorry pretty fast.

I went out to the picnic area by the bocce courts, where I came up on four people — three males and one female. They were all drunk and could barely speak; one guy was passed out in the grass so I told him  to move, that the sprinklers were coming on soon and he cussed a bit and moved. The other three were all passed out with beer bottles in tow so no one would steal them while they were sleeping by the horseshoe pits. I was so bummed. I put a ton work into cleaning up that area of the park. So I left them some clean socks and water so when they woke up from their drunk state they would have it to drink so they weren't dehydrated.

Then I went downtown where I stopped at a vacant home — the same one I've been complaining about, and there was a guy passed out back there and there was even more stuff.  This is right in downtown. I am amazed that no one is saying anything (see pictures). I have called the city and the county — it has human waste issues, rodent issues, and it stinks and people just go by it. If I thought it was safe to wake the guy who was sleeping there and have him clean his mess I would have; he camps there almost nightly except when he goes to jail. There's just too much to clean without safety precautions. It's amazing how fast the homeless can gather things and make a mess; not everyone, but the ones who do make it tough for everyone who is homeless. That's why I'm proactive in educating these guys on the importance of being clean, not only for their safety, but for the community's peace of mind.

As I was standing there looking at the mess I got a call from the Concord police and had to leave for a older man who needed service asap. But it was a long night. I can see that maybe we've gone a step backward. But I won't give up. I am committed to serving the homeless and the city and I believe I will make a difference some day.