On North Main Street just past the Straw Hat Pizza during the last week a homeless woman set up shop with all of her worldly belongings.

She piled her belongings — enough to seemingly fill a small U-Haul — along the edge of the sidewalk adjacent to a vacant field where DR Horton plans to build 158 homes. Her stuff — that included three big storage bins on wheels and what appeared to be a mattresses on wheels as well — didn’t go unnoticed by the public or the Manteca Police Department.

The woman has been warned and cited several times. There is an assumption, of course, by many in the public that the items most may view as rubbish but are actually her possessions should simply be cleared up and hauled away. But it isn’t as simple as that.

First she wasn’t for the most part on public property. And what many might view as trash, the courts have made it clear it is still the property of the homeless and must be treated as such. While no one — including the homeless — can store items on private property without permission unless an owner makes a complaint or has an order on file with police that has to be renewed every six months to be legally enforced, police can’t simply have items removed.

To get them off the

street those helping need

homeless to trust them

If there isn’t an owner to make a complaint, the items can’t arbitrarily be “seized’ unless a timely abatement procedure is undertaken. Muddying the waters further is private land where public access is implied at shopping centers and similar commercial ventures legally need to have letters on file giving police the authority to remove trespassers or campers. Tenants do not qualify as property owners under state law or in the eyes of the courts.

Adding to the challenge are observations made by those who work in the trenches daily trying to get the homeless off the streets. Frank Saldana of Inner City Action has noted what the homeless ferry around or set up camp with constitutes all of their possessions.

As such they fret about its security including items being stolen by other homeless.

It is one of the reasons why it is a lengthy and often daunting process to gain the trust of the homeless so people can work with them so that the can hopefully accept help working toward the goal of getting off the streets.

The emergency warming center Inner City Action is operating at 555 Industrial Park Drive through March 31 has secure space where the belongings of homeless are stored.

The security of their belongings is one challenge that Inner Action has as their vans fan out over Manteca on cold winter nights with staff trying to encourage the homeless to accept a ride to the warming center where the temperature is kept at a relatively balmy 75 degrees throughout the night — a good 30 to 40 degrees above the streets. It is also dry and not damp plus comes with basic creature comforts such as a dignified place to go the bathroom, a hot meal, showers and more.

The security of her belongings is among the reasons why the woman on North Main Street is choosing the elements of a cold winter night over the relative comfort of an emergency warming center. As such it is one illustration of the challenges that need to be overcome with every homeless that have uniquely individual circumstances and fears in order to make headway.

30 homeless now spending

nights at emergency warming

center at 555 Industrial Park

In numbers provided daily, Inner City Action has made a fairly decent dent in the issue of homeless sleeping in front of stores and in public places.

On Friday, Dec. 13, there were 19 homeless that spent the night at the warming center. There were another 71 individuals that had meals, utilized bathrooms, took showers, had their hair cut, secured new clothes and/or accessed other services.  By Wednesday, Dec. 18, the number sleeping overnight increased to 30 with 83 others simply accessing services.

The 30 number presents 1 out of every 6.5 homeless in Manteca if the point in time count conducted in January that placed the unsheltered at 218 is still valid.

Similar contacts over a six-week period earlier this year in a 25-day period ending Feb. 17 and then for a brief 5-day period in April when no overnight sleeping was allowed when the Inner City Action tent was at the same location succeeded in getting 28 homeless off the streets including three children.

Most of the adults were placed in programs to address why they ended up on the street and were given work training and were ultimately placed in jobs where they can support themselves. The others were reunited with families.

Saldana has noted reoccurring contacts helps build trust with the homeless enabling many to take the next step which is asking for help getting off the streets.

Trust isn’t built

in just one day

Saldana has repeatedly noted gaining the trust of the homeless doesn’t happen in one day adding “most are very guarded.”

Inner City Action for the past 37 months has been the pivotal partner with Manteca Police efforts that has helped get more than 250 homeless of the streets. The vast majority have not returned to the streets. Some have been reunited with families often states away. Many have gotten their lives back or are in the process of building new lives all on the back of the bridge Inner City’s program provides. Inner City doesn’t simply stress the value of work but provides work and then the connections with businesses throughout Northern California that are sold on how effective those that have been brought along by Inner City are in terms of being responsible and hard workers.

Typically after two weeks of being clean and sober that those in the program they treat like family believe they are ready to work. Saldana said that isn’t the case as they need to work on a variety of personnel skills.

The companies they work with are eager to employ those in the Inner City programs. Typically there is a two week training program specific to the job they are placed in. If the person doesn’t work out the companies simply try someone else.

Inner City provides the transportation to get them to and from job sites. Then when they are ready to go out on their own and rent their own place Inner City delves into the wealth of donated items to furnish housing and provide other necessities to allow them to firmly establish their selves.

Saldana said the warming center effort is in need of assistance especially fuel cards. Generators keeping the tent warm burn through hundreds of dollars of fuel a day.

For more information about Inner City Action’s efforts and what they could use help with go to innercity.org.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com