October Newsletter
I am writing this as I watch the rain fall outside. It’s beautiful to look at and exciting because we need this moisture to help us through the drought we currently are experiencing. However, it makes me worry for our community members without shelter. As you’ve heard me say and seen in my newsletters, I think that as a region we have done significantly more for our houseless residents than we ever have previously, but that doesn’t mean that we are doing all that we could on this issue. I am troubled by the number of people who are on the CARES campus as it nears capacity every day. I have directed staff to pull together a more comprehensive staffing plan for case workers and mental health workers which I hope will be coming to the Board of County Commissioners for approval in the next month.
We have more than 300 transitional housing beds where we should be able to move many of our CARES campus members for the next step in their housing journey -- we just don’t have the needed staffing to get them to the right location. Once staffing is in place, I know this can be resolved and more capacity will be created.
I have heard from many of you about your concerns regarding how the County and our partners will be handling the challenge of keeping these vulnerable members protected during the winter. This is also a concern for me. As I discussed in my last newsletter, we have a winter plan and are moving forward with more substantial housing for our Safe Camp residents with a product called ModPods that will be installed at the campus in November. Additionally, anyone who needs warmth, regardless of bed availability or whether they want to stay at the CARES Campus, can go to our warming center that officially opened this last week at the CARES Campus.
