L.A. Sheriff’s outreach program offering support for homeless population
In Rosemead, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, in cooperation with several other county agencies, have hit the streets to connect unhoused people with shelter and services.
Deputies from LASD’s Temple Station and the department’s Homeless Outreach Services Team have been engaged in the initiative alongside L.A. County Probation and the Los Angeles Center for Drug and Alcohol Abuse in an effort to provide “comprehensive support, including mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and housing assistance,” an LASD news release stated.
“No one gets better in a homeless encampment,” Lt. Bill Kitchin told KTLA’s John Fenoglio. “From day one, their health deteriorates while they are there.”
These specially trained deputies, along with their partner agencies, are working to get homeless residents help if they want it.
At a Rosemead homeless encampment, Deputy Chris Lewis pointed out the dangerous living conditions.
“Somebody actually lives over there on that mattress,” he said. “You can actually see the condition that this encampment is in. It is not a safe environment for anybody to be staying in.”
There are those, however, living on the streets, like one man identified only as Gilbert, who do not want the help.
“I’d rather struggle out here,” he said. “I don’t like shelters. I don’t even like neighbors. It’s a little too loose for me.”
According to the latest data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, there are 75,518 unhoused residents in L.A. County. In Rosemead, city officials say there’s been a spike in crime committed by the unhoused population.
“We want to make sure that they understand that we’re here to try to support them while also supporting our communities,” Deputy Lewis explained.
A 17-year LASD veteran, Lewis says he and his team usually encounter homeless residents struggling with mental health and substance abuse problems.
During Monday’s outreach, the deputy met a man named Donald, who had been sleeping in the park. When Lewis offered help, Donald took it.
“That’s definitely going to be a success story,” he said. “You could see that Donald was already letting you know he had some mental health concerns. Us coming out here and connecting with him, we were able to get him some of those mental health resources.”
Despite the hurdles, Deputy Lewis said the homeless outreach has been truly rewarding.
“The truth is that we are given the opportunity and the time to truly help our communities out,” he explained. “You’ll see when we go out and talk to these people. We spend a little more time with them to find out what is their major concern and what can do to help them.”
Lewis added that the reward is seeing a person go from living on the streets to getting housing or reconnecting with their family and getting back to life.
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