Police Partner With Veterans Resource Center To Help Homeless Vets

SANTA CRUZ, CA — More homeless veterans sleep outside in Santa Cruz County than almost anywhere else in the country, a major issue that Santa Cruz police are working to address by partnering with the Veterans Resource Center. Police announced the new pilot project this morning, saying that the program intends to keep homeless veterans out of jail by diverting them to services and shelters.

Officers who come in contact with homeless veterans will offer them rides to VRC, where they can access social services and housing assistance. Santa Cruz police only have one full-time social worker, who is
responsible for providing case management while partnered with a patrol officer.

"We strive to implement long-term solutions to ensure the safety of our community and the well being of every person in our city, homeless or not," Santa Cruz police Deputy Chief Rick Martinez said in a statement.
"By partnering with VRC, we now have direct access to professionals who work with a population that needs special attention," Martinez said.

Of the 146 homeless veterans documented in the county, 113 were considered unsheltered by the 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report presented to Congress in November. That report showed the county to have the fifth highest rate of unsheltered homeless veterans of all the smaller population areas in the country.

The "unsheltered" designation generally means that the veterans sleep on the street, in abandoned buildings, in vehicles or in encampments. "Sheltered" homeless people live in emergency shelters or transitional housing.

VRC, which expanded into Santa Cruz in 2013, incorporates the "housing first" model, meaning its staff moves homeless individuals into shelters immediately.

"The wraparound care services VRC provides dramatically increases the chance someone will overcome their personal challenges," Ingrid Trejo, Central Coast Regional Site Director for VRC, said in a statement.
"It is much more difficult to stabilize and succeed if homeless veterans stayed on the street while receiving case management," Trejo said.

By Bay City News

Photo via Shutterstock