75% of the respondents to a homeless survey said they have ties to Mariposa.
Mariposa County Chief Probation Officer Pete Judy said from the Probation Department perspective there are about 40, probably more than 40 probationers who are homeless in the county and they are all local.
Chevon Kothari said it is not just about providing homes it is about a program providing them with skills and services.
DRAFT Mariposa County Homelessness Plan (pdf)
Video and Audio of the meeting available on request.
sst@goldrushcam.com
May 10, 2015 - At the Mariposa County Town Hall meeting on Homelessness held on Thursday evening, May 7, 2015 about ninety local interested people listened to a presentation on homelessness in Mariposa.
Mariposa County District Four Supervisor Kevin Cann began the meeting by saying it is absolutely critical to have our businesses, residents, churches and folks from every strata here to interact on the issue of homelessness in Mariposa County. Supervisor Cann said the churches are taking a lot of heat but they deserve a lot of praise also. He said he is told all the time by residents that they have to do something and he agrees and that the services they offer attracts others to the community. Supervisor Cann said dealing with ten more people on top of the thirty that are here does not change the fact that there was a significant problem to start with. He said it is now time for the county to step up to help and doing nothing is not an option. Supervisor Cann said we need to develop the shoulder seasons to avoid the seasonal layoffs that occur and also hundreds of homes that were formerly monthly rentals have now become vacation rentals, limiting the housing. Also AB 109 has brought homeless parolees back to the county and the ultimate goal is to solve the homeless problem before people become homeless.
What is HomeBase?
Representing HomeBase Ashley McIntyre said they are based in the Bay area and are a national homeless policy firm. HomeBase works with communities across the country and locally with Fresno and Sacramento. HomeBase helps communities identify solutions to homelessness that are locally appropriate. They focus on proven models and how to adapt them to local communities. HomeBase also helps look for Federal and State funding for the communities along with grant compliance work.
Mariposa County Director of Human Services Chevon Kothari said we can all agree on one thing that homelessness is a problem for the entire community. They are looking for solutions that work for the entire community and many of us are one crisis away from being homeless or in poverty and some people are not lucky enough to have family or friends to help them in a crisis.
Chevon Kothari said what they have learned through interviews and surveys is that the homeless all had a situation in their life that caused them to be homeless. Some because of a mental health crisis, a divorce or a death in the family. In a local Mariposa survey 33% percent said they had a mental illness that contributed to them being homeless, 50% said they experienced domestic violence or witnessed it when they were growing up, 40% said a major health concern led them to become homeless as they did not have the resources to maintain housing. 75% of the respondents said they have ties to Mariposa. 20% said they work full time or part time. 15% of the respondents are seniors, 15% were young children. Local school statistics list 50 to 75 families that are homeless.
Another HomeBase representative said all the research across the country has showed that housing is a critical intervention as it gives people the opportunity to stabilize and people with disabilities can receive support. She said people really want to be productive and they want to contribute. National studies have show that with housing for the homeless costs to the county are reduced through things like time spent in jail and reliance on public services such as emergency rooms and hospitals. She said a lot of the homeless are veterans.
Chevon Kothari said their plan for Mariposa focuses on a variety of different strategies and solutions. They are looking for a place where folks can link to services during the daytime hours to get then off the streets and where they can be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This would also help them to connect and engage to find help.
Mariposa County has put out an RFP for a Wellness Center and by July 1, 2015 they hope to have a community based type organization that could run the facility. With housing there is a spectrum of needs and one of the things may be emergency housing for a short period of time. They are NOT looking at creating a big shelter, just interim housing solutions like small homes that they can rent to put people in. Also they are looking at things like help with housing deposits. People with disabilities may need supportive long term housing. They are looking at strategies in working with landlords for low income people or Section 8 housing. There is also a lack of low income housing in Mariposa that needs to be looked at. They are also working with other communities which will allow them to access Federal and State resources that they could not access otherwise and also to learn from their experiences. They want to connect people better to services they might not know about. Also they want people to develop skills so they can access other jobs. The goal is to have everyone to have a place to live.
Mariposa County Sheriff Doug Binnewies said this is a really big topic and it will take some energy to work through this so it will work for everybody. He said there is anxiety and discomfort with some of the shop owners in the downtown area. They feel uncomfortable in the Art Park.
Statistics show the call volume has increased for the downtown area. During 2005 from January to April they had 5 calls for some sort of service that required a deputy and that the contact person would be identified as a transient (No permanent address). The call could have been for problems like a drunk person, a fight, an ill person or a theft. During 2010 from January to April they had 10 calls. During 2015 from January to April they have had 100 calls. Out of the 100 calls, 69 of them were for an offense that the person could be arrested for. Several of the arrests were the same people over and over again and the majority (32) were for drunkenness, (31) for drug abuse violations (6) for loitering. The Sheriff said he has a lot of manpower downtown, what he calls a "Mariposa Police Department." That is why we are having burglaries in the rural areas because the department does not have enough deputies or cars.
A resident said she does not have a problem with 'Walter' or the four she can think of that were born and raised in Mariposa, she is concerned with the people from Merced coming up on the bus because they are being told Mariposa has resources.
Someone said she has lived here for 28 years and never seen the problem of so much homeless in town, it is like cockroaches!
The Sheriff said it is not fair to paint with a broad-brush saying all homeless are criminals. The Sheriff said AB109 that released people back to the communities along with the recession has fueled what we are experiencing today. Also that the department has given people bus money to leave town if they arrive here, find themselves with no money and need a ride back home.
A resident asked how much the Welfare Department yearly budget is?
Chevon Kothari said it is about $25 Million. A lot of the money is passed trough money like food stamps and Medi Cal benefits.
He also asked if the voters/taxpayers get a say if they are going to do any low income housing?
Chevon Kothari said they are not looking at County dollars, they are using Federal and State dollars. But if they needed County dollars they would go to the Supervisors and then residents could voice their opinion.
A resident asked about the homeless shelters.
Chevon Kothari said they do not want one shelter and that communal living is hard. They are looking at scattered site models.
A resident asked where the jobs are going to come from? That there are not many jobs here and you will be inviting more people to come to Mariposa and get more housing.
Chevon Kothari said they are not looking at free housing to let people come here and they will figure it out later. They are looking to help the people that are already here to get housing and jobs.
A resident said a big part of the problem is the seasonal jobs in Yosemite National Park that provide housing during the season then the housing and job go way in the off season.
Chevon Kothari said they are looking at ideas with the Park with low income housing being a long term solution.
A question was asked if the Road House and the Center for Opportunity and Education and Reentry (CORE) are considered Wellness Centers?
Chevon Kothari said CORE is designed for people involved with the Probation department. The Road House is a Wellness Center for people with severe mental illness and was designed for about ten people at a time. The Road House is going to be closed because the needs have outgrown it. The funds will be outsourced to a community based organization that will open a larger day center.
A resident asked what is the 'cap?' Where will we be in 2020? He said his daughter was closing the business the other night and a person was kicking both doors at the business.
Chevon Kothari said the programs they are looking at are for the people who need supportive housing.
A resident asked how they will "weed them out?" Another resident said government was never designed to replace the family.
Chevon Kothari said are providing a safety net for people.
With a question about housing and jobs for the transient youth, Chevon Kothari said they are definitely looking at this population.
A resident said she was concerned about safety for teenage girls in the downtown area. She said we need a task force to free up the sheriff departments time.
Another resident asked when does it stop?
Mariposa County Chief Probation Officer Pete Judy said from the Probation Department perspective there are about 40, probably more than 40 probationers who are homeless in the county and they are all local. AB 109 gave parolees to the local probation department. Before AB109 for example a parolee in Coulterville would report to Stanislaus County. Others would report to Merced County. The Probation Department and other services are located in Mariposa and that is where they now report to and they can look different than our local jail population.
A local business owner said they rely on tourism and if the homeless numbers keep rising tourists will not come where they feel threatened and uncomfortable.
Chevon Kothari said the goal is to reduce the people on the street, to get them into housing so they do not have to start fires to stay warm.
A resident asked about nighttime hours, that she lives downtown and sees what goes on downtown after the businesses close.
Chevon Kothari said Open Arms (the churches) close their doors at night and some of the people are no longer allowed in Open Arms and that is where law enforcement comes in to help the downtown area.
Chevon Kothari said it is not just about providing homes it is about a program providing them with skills and services. She said you cannot actually afford a home with a minimum wage job.
A resident said their are two different populations one is intrusive and they are different than the ones that are working.
A business owner said they are threatening the tourists, leaving their garbage all over and damaging property. She said they are homeless by choice, they are going to refuse the mental health care, they are going to refuse the housing, they want handouts so why should we help them? Also if they are not from this community they are not my problem.
Chevon Kothari said the only services that are provided right now is Open Arms and that research have show that communities that offer services do not get a huge influx of homeless.
A resident asked what the program wants from us? Money?
Chevon Kothari said no they do not want money but the Supervisors need to get input from the community.
A resident said we need to stop prolonging the problem, we need productive people in society, not sticking them in a house and ringing the dinner bell. Also we are fearful of the criminal element that are on probation.
The Sheriff said the concern is there are two groups (1) Our locals who we have compassion and concern for and (2) the other population that we have had before that probably spends a big percentage of their time in the criminal side. We do not have a lot of government services for the locals so their was a need and the churches stepped up. So if government steps up and private services go away maybe services for the criminal population will not be available.
Next Step
Chevon said the information from this meeting will be presented before the Board of Supervisors.
Previous Information: Town Hall Meeting on Homelessness in Mariposa County Thursday, May 7, 2015
