From homeless to housed, EDSO Homeless Outreach Team is making a difference

"Instead of trying to find a way to eliminate the homeless, we now have the ability to change homelessness with a new approach - and it is working," said El Dorado County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Macras.

Macras is one of three members of the department who are the dedicated full time to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) Homeless Outreach Team, HOT. He joins Sgt. Mike Cook and Dep. Jeramy Buckman, all who spend every Monday through Thursday on the streets of El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, El Dorado, Pollock Pines and other areas of the County's western slope. They focus on encampments, so the need for HOT isn't in South Lake Tahoe at this time, but they have offered to help local police and other deputies with their services.

With numbers of homeless people in the county hovering around an estimated 700, Sheriff John D'Agostini saw a real issue and wanted to do something different, according to Deputy Macras, a five-year veteran of the EDSO. A game plan was started and the HOT team began to visit other California cities who had successful homeless outreach programs. Sacramento, they found, dealt with the homeless through enforcement, while Petaluma used a combination of stern enforcement and fairness, a "tough love."

What HOT has done so far in their first six months in operation can only be called as successful, and they've helped 37 people get from homeless to housed.

"Just one would have been successful," said Macras.

A Day With the Homeless Outreach Team

I spent a shift with the team recently, finding out what they do, how they interact with the homeless community, and what makes their program successful. As I walked with them through current and old encampments, and rode along the streets with Deputy Macras, my eyes were also opened to a high level of compassion from law enforcement in their contacts with the county's homeless.

We met David as we drove by the site of an old homeless encampment behind KMart in Placerville. He asked Macras to take him to Mental Health, so we drove to Diamond Springs and took him. A later call had us returned to the agency to take David to the hospital, but that is all part of the job for HOT, and in their relationships with the homeless.

David, a Placerville native, will never be housed as he has mental issues stemming from years of LSD abuse, but there are many others they meet with that can have successful outcomes.

On November 20, 2017, the team was able to connect a homeless veteran to services that provided him housing, something they were able to do with what their outreach is doing on the streets of El Dorado County.

Law enforcement can't just remove a person from the streets for being annoying unless they pose a threat to themselves or others, or are breaking the law, a misconception many have.

I've been one who always thought that giving food and clothing to homeless helps the most, but I found through the work of HOT that helping end the cycle of homelessness is the biggest help that can be given.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results," said Deputy Macras, and the Homeless Outreach Team is here to make a difference and a solution.

Getting to Know the Homeless

"We are looking for a solution," said the deputy.

There is a lot of work involved in getting a person off the streets into a home, and it all starts with building relationships and trust through constant contact. It is also a slow process.

The deputies get to know the homeless individually and start to undo the layers of a person to find out how they got to where they are. They know the people on a first name basis, keep up on what they're doing, and who their friends and family are.

The deputies have gained respect from the homeless.

"Daily, repetitive contact is the only way to be really successful," said Macras. "Get to know them and the more info we get, the better we can help. We are here to end their homeless cycle and start with a plan on day one."

Sometimes the person just needs to be reunited with the family and loved ones, but the deputies won't just send a person to another town unless they know someone will be there for them.

Tackle the Issues That Made Them Homeless

The team gets to know those in the homeless community, find out how they came to living on the streets and issues they face. Once this relationship is built a plan is developed.

Most of the time, drugs or alcohol are at the root of a homeless situation, or mental illness, so HOT works with the people to get them the services they need, whether it is rehabilitation or counseling. "99 percent of our homeless has some sort of addiction issue and much of mental illness is a result of those drugs," said Macras.

HOT helps them get into rehab first, then look for housing second.

Many are sent to Harbor Light, the Salvation Army run drug addiction program in San Francisco. They can be there six months to two years, depending on need. A person must be committed to recovery before being admitted.

There are also facilities in Auburn, Placerville, or, if they have supportive families elsewhere, they will be sent out of the area.

While Macras understands why people donate food and clothing to the homeless, he is of the belief that people need jobs first, then they can get out of cycle of being homeless and pay for housing, food and clothing.

Private Property, Public Property

Property owners need to be accountable and keep their empty lots inaccessible to homeless, said Macras. There were two large homeless encampments where HOT worked with the land owners to get the homeless off the private property, behind the KMart in Placerville and behind Motel 6 in Cameron Park.

Behind KMart were 20 encampments, and with that many camping in an area without running water, restrooms or cooking facilities, one can imagine the unsanitary conditions people live in, and leave behind when they move on.

The first step is for the land owner to make their lot "Private Property" and label "Trespassers will be prosecuted." This allowed deputies to go in and break up encampments. They also break them up with compassion and work with them to remove personal property over several days, and help them get onto the plan to end their homeless cycle. Many in these camps were open to rehab and other services, and the deputies helped them get what they needed.

"We serve homeless people as much as we do property owners," said Macras.

Broken Windows, Broken Business

The team works with business owners to clean up their properties, evaluate the outside lighting and procedures in place to eliminate criminal opportunities and environment, such as drug sales, theft and prostitution.

Once the homeless camp behind Motel 6 was made private property, the deputies worked with the motel owner to not make that area so popular for those not there for business reasons.

"Don't make it easy for them to keep doing it," Macras said they tell business owners. At Motel 6 the owner changed outside lighting, moved dumpsters, started recording license plate numbers of guests, all to keep the activities that attracted crime away from the area.

Clean Up

Once an encampment moves on, there are massive amounts of trash left behind, from tents and clothing to bikes and cooking supplies, and of course, human waste.

EDSO has applied for a Cal Recycle Grant to help pay for cleaning up, something property owners have been responsible for in the past. They also want to get the homeless and others to volunteer their services.

Working Together to Break Down Barriers

In 2018, HOT will be teamed up with street outreach nurses in creating a pro-active working relationship with the homeless. Many homeless use the ER for a warm place to stay, and the hope is the street outreach team will get services to the homeless to avoid hospitals being abused. This method has been effective in Sacramento, according to Macras, and they plan to have the same success in El Dorado County.

Employees of the El Dorado County Public Defender's Office joined the team this past week to deliver Christmas presents to the homeless. They heard of what HOT was doing and wanted to help. The presents included personal hygiene products and other items those who are homeless would appreciate.

"This is rewarding," said Macras. "As a cop you don't always make a difference. Here, the person who you've helped changed their life will always remember you."