This blog is going to be different than my previous one — I'm not going to be explaining what I did. I'm going to be talking about the issue of homelessness.
I got involved with the homeless in our county when was I was appointed by state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier to the Pacheco Municipal Advisory Council. I would hear problems with the homeless population monthly. So I decided to research and go out and speak to the homeless. What I found out is there is no one responding to homeless calls in our county nights and weekends except police. Not that the police are bad, but they deal with the homeless according to laws, and I thought if there were someone who could help them with issues by putting the homeless in services (detox, shelter, etc.) instead of jail or getting citations, it might give the police some relief from these type of calls.
Don't get me wrong — if they're breaking the law or being a problem the police should do their job for sure. I want to do everything in my power to get people help, but what I don't want to do is enable. It has taken many years of forming partnerships and working with law enforcement to finally be able to see some relief for the police and the homeless. I will say I don't agree with everything the county has done, such as not having dry shelters or not letting people with small pets go to shelter. Sure, they are working on these things, and for the most part they do a great job. The shelters and the staff really work with the clients and always try to make room for my outreach when I have a serious case (elderly, disabled). But, like in every system, things could change. So, tonight I'm asking you to give me suggestions to make my job easier, if that's possible.
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Let me say this — Martinez police do a great job of calling when someone needs services, and they deal with all the homeless from every city when they come to the hospital or jail. I really believe that Martinez has started to take an interest in this issue and it helps me and the police when the lawmakers take an interest and for that I thank them. I wish the other police departments I work with would do what Martinez does. It's not that they do a bad job, they just haven't got that interest yet.
If I had a closing thought it would be: How do we balance the homeless with the businesses? Some business owners don't mind the homeless and other businesses suffer because of the homeless. So, make my job easier — give me some suggestions on how to do this.
