A united front is being forged across the country to tackle the bewildering problem of homelessness.
The goal is to establish an umbrella organization that will identify ways to help get the 2,319 homeless people living throughout San Joaquin County, as recorded in a 2022 census at some point, off the streets.
It’s not just about helping vulnerable protected populations get to the root causes of their homelessness and working with them to get their lives back on track.
It also reduces the economic burden that homelessness places on taxpayers and the private sector.
A University of Pacific study released earlier this month estimates the annual negative economic impact of the homeless on San Joaquin County at at least $130 million. That’s about $60,000 per homeless person.
That reflects hard costs like:
*Health services ranging from fire and ambulance response, emergency room, hospitalization and general health services to support the homeless. In Manteca, for example, nearly 10 percent of emergency calls are from homeless people.
*Law Enforcement and Justice System – Costs incurred in dealing with homelessness issues. In some jurisdictions, it is estimated that 1 in 5 police calls can be attributed to homeless issues.
* Ongoing efforts by government agencies to clear illegal homeless camps and the like.
*Private sector labor and costs associated with property repairs.
*The cost of housing, shelter and other efforts by government agencies and non-profit organizations to help the homeless. In Manteca alone, the city spends nearly $1 million annually just on the cost of a temporary emergency shelter/service at 555 Industrial Park Drive.
With that in mind, the San Joaquin County board of directors voted Tuesday to spend $30,000 to hire consultants to follow up on an ad hoc report by the committee detailing the need for the county, along with its seven Cities must coordinate efforts to support the homeless.
“This is a huge accomplishment,” said Supervisor Tom Patti, who represents Lathrop and Manteca north of Yosemite Avenue on the county board.
Patti, along with colleague Paul Canepa, has led the county’s effort to find a way to make strides in helping the homeless and in turn reduce the problems they cause for the community.
The two were able to bring together nearly 100 stakeholders from nonprofits, cities, government agencies that deal with the homeless, prosecutors, law enforcement and the like to assess the homelessness problem and figure out how best to move forward.
There was a strong consensus that addressing the complex problem of homelessness more effectively would require collaboration and a multi-pronged approach.
Patti noted that this would do the following:
* Enable sharing of what works and what doesn’t to ensure best practices are used.
*Filling gaps that may exist in local efforts in one community with expertise available elsewhere in the county.
* Monitor people accessing various homeless services.
“The goal is to not have islands and silos,” Patti said.
Making it a nationwide approach avoids potential pitfalls that some fear, such as: B. Moving homeless people from one community to another to access services.
It also reflects the reality that dealing with the homeless isn’t just a Manteca problem, a Tracy problem, a Lodi problem, a Stockton problem, or a San Joaquin County problem.
Therefore, coordinating efforts and building synergies have the potential to better align efforts with the needs of the homeless while reducing the number of camps along highways, waterways, and in neighborhoods.
It’s also an admission that Housing First — the approach the state has been taking for the past four years — isn’t working.
Patti pointed out that the number of homeless people in California has actually increased because of the “housing first” attitude.
The strategy, which the county and other agencies are working on, puts a focus on identifying – and addressing – the root causes of people’s homelessness. It closely resembles the strategy Manteca is pursuing with the Homeless Navigation Center, which is planned on an 8-acre lot off South Main Street.
This does not mean that no living space is required. What it does do is admit that simply housing the homeless in some type of shelter does not change the behavior or problems needed to keep them off the streets.
Patti said the approach of helping the homeless mirrored how many would help a stray, hungry puppy wandering around a busy street.
Patti thinks most wouldn’t just drive by or maybe drop off some food and drive away
Instead, they would probably try to find a way to help the pup so it can have a better life.
That would mean taking them to an animal shelter where there are services that address nutritional and health needs and give them a better life.
“It’s not compassion to let someone live in misery and despair,” Patti said.
Patti – who ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for Congress in November – said giving the homeless a better life by enabling them to get off the streets is “the right thing to do,” and it will ultimately reduce costs and negative impacts that the homeless have on the rest of the community.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email [email protected]
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