Call it saving lives, Manteca-style.
Several years back Mike Kelly, who is one of two Manteca’s Police officers assigned to the city’s homeless efforts, was approached by a distraught mother.
Her son, for various reasons, had ended up homeless and was among those that camped illegally along the 120 Bypass and Highway 99 corridors.
She kept pleading with her son to get off the streets. At the same time, she’d drop food by so he wouldn’t go hungry. She also provided him with other items from time-to-time.
Kelly got an earful when he interacted with the man after being asked to help by his mother.
The man was not going to the homeless shelter.
That is when Kelly gave it to her straight.
She was basically enabling her son.
He told her to stop helping him and basically leave him no option that if he didn’t want to go hungry or be cold, that he would need to access the homeless services at 555 Industrial Avenue.
A few days later, that is what the man did.
Long story short, he made use of resources available that helped get his life back in track.
He also earned a commercial driver’s license.
Today, he has a roof over his head thanks to a home that he is making mortgage payments on.
“That’s an extreme example,” Kelly said on Thursday speaking before the Manteca Rotary.
That may be the case, but the effort Manteca started 10 years ago with one officer dedicated to homeless issues, has snowballed.
The city’s efforts have reunited hundreds with their families, some as far away as Florida.
It has gotten others into substance abuse programs.
Others have been able to clean up and get their ducks in order — such as secure documentation needed to successfully obtain employment.
Some were already employed and living on the streets. They were able to use time at the shelter to get back on their feet to afford to house themselves.
All that walk through the gates can access showers, bathrooms, meals, needed health and support services, clothes, and even haircuts.
Currently, 55 of the 75 dorm beds are occupied.
Kelly is just a small part of what can best be described as a small army of manpower in the form of government and nonprofit agencies augmented by volunteers addressing everything from healthcare to making someone employment eligible.
Together, they are doing a fairly effective job at obtaining the city’s goals of getting as many of the homeless off the street and reducing crimes that homeless commit.
The bottom line for the city is to manage the homeless situation as best as possible based on the fact there will always be homeless to some degree.
Manteca’s holistic approach to managing homeless issues takes into account addressing — and trying to resolve — underlying issues making people homeless as well as to enforce quality of life laws that are designed to avoid the sense of safety and community from unraveling.
The approach involves constantly asking people that want to help feed or cloth the homeless, not to drop off items at Library Park or other spots around the city.
The reason is two-fold.
More often than not a box of clothes ends up being scattered about and rarely do the homeless opt to use many of the items.
“People clean out their closets and take their clothes to the park and the homeless get blamed for the mess (it creates),” said Kelly.
As for food, the goal is to get the homeless to seek help.
The more they go to the emergency homeless shelter for a meal and such, the more likely they will eventually opt to get off the streets.
Being hungry and cold — as in the example Kelly mentioned with the mother’s son illegally camping along the freeway — is an effective way to get the homeless to warm up to the idea of getting off the streets.
Kelly noted some groups, such as a church organization from Escalon, is now providing homemade soup once a week for the homeless at the shelter.
Carrot & stick approach
plus, point in time count
In addition to day-to-day enforcement, Manteca has a once-a-month “Quality of Life Improvement & Warrant Sweep.”
They also do not simply wait for the homeless to wander into 555 Industrial Park Drive to see help.
They also conduct a twice-a-month outreach effort.
Workers with county health and assistance services along with volunteers and one of two officers dedicated to homeless efforts, drop by homeless encampments.
They are provided with basic medical care if needed. And they are advised repeatedly of services available at 555 Industrial Drive and are encouraged to go there.
Last Tuesday, the group was joined by council members Dave Breitenbucher and Mike Morowit that serve on the council’s sub-committee on homeless issues.
Morowit noted the outreach is focused on helping the homeless.
As an example, if they have an outstanding low-level outstanding warrant and haven’t taken care of it or asked the court for an extension that is essentially automatic the first time, they are advised to take care of it.
Morowit — along with Breitenbucher and Councilwoman Regina Lackey — accompanied those involved with the zero-tolerance quality of life sweep this past Saturday.
The homeless man who had been warned — as well as those with outstanding warrants for minor infractions such as pilfering a shopping cart and being in parks after they close — was arrested and booked into county jail.
There were 17 arrests on Saturday that included five homeless who were found with drugs on them.
Manteca Property Services, that also is part of the sweep, took personal property of the homeless being jailed to 555 Industrial Park Drive for them to retrieve when they get out of jail.
Items that are debris are cleaned up and removed for disposal by the contracted firm.
The homeless are also given the option, if they are found sleeping where they are not allowed, to move on or be taken to 555 Industrial Park Drive.
The point in time count that is taken every two years to get an idea of the number of homeless there are in various communities and to help determine state and/or federal assistance to cities and counties, is taking place on Tuesday.
It starts at 6 a.m. with volunteers split into teams accompanied by police officers to spread out through the community to get a head count of all unsheltered homeless in Manteca.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
