The Placer County Grand
Jury took a close look at homelessness issues this year, finding homelessness
is placing a burden on taxpayers and public safety.
Through multiple
interviews and a visit to the homeless camp at the DeWitt Center, the team of
19 grand jurors worked to understand the challenges and barriers the homeless experience
in entering shelters and available services to gain insight to the day-to-day
personnel and operations that work directly with the homeless and to identify
who in Placer County takes ownership and responsibility for the strategies used
in supporting the homeless.
“The grand jury’s
investigation uncovered the fact that there is no single owner or leader in
county staff overseeing the homeless issue,” stated the grand jury report,
which was released June 30. “The lack of information from Health and Human
Services made it difficult to compile specific facts and figures needed to
accurately report the number of homeless currently residing in Placer County.”
The grand jury also
highlighted that Health and Human Services, which aids the homeless through
several programs, “lacks knowledge as to the specific amount of funds
available, allocated to the homeless, and how it is spent on remedying the
problem.”
The report stated the
grand jury’s attempt to gain financial information was an “act of futility” because
county officials were not able to provide answers.
Through interviews, grand
jurors learned reasons why the homeless at DeWitt refuse to enter a facility.
Many have social, medical and mental health issues, which may impede their
ability to make healthy, wise decisions that would improve their overall
well-being, the report stated. Another factor is most campers don’t want to
conform to authority, maintain a schedule or assume any responsibilities, as
would be required in a clean and sober high-barrier facility.
Of the nearly 100 homeless
who were camping at DeWitt while the grand jury was conducting its
investigation, jurors discovered 98 percent decline services offered by county
representatives twice a week.
Jurors discovered alcohol
and drug use was prevalent in the encampment, resulting in an average of one
overdose a week and crimes such as assaults, thefts, drugs and public
intoxication. Placer County Sheriff’s Office statistics show 30 percent of
calls for service (between March 2021 and February 2022) were transient related
in North Auburn (where the DeWitt Center is located) compared with 7 percent of
calls for the rest of Placer County. The county employs a Homeless Liaison
Team, which includes six deputies who patrol the homeless 24/7.
“Looking at the statistics
provided, the grand jury questions how only six deputies can be expected to
cover the entire county without drawing other deputies away from their assigned
communities and duties,” the report stated. The jurors went on to say the
Homeless Liaison Team was doing an “effective job” and the officers have
“excellent rapport and are caring and compassionate when dealing with the
campers.”
The grand jury sought to
determine total funding spent on homeless programs by the county as part of the
Health and Human Services' quarter-billion-dollar budget. County officials
interviewed could not expound on this subject because of their lack of
knowledge of the financial aspect relating to homeless services, the report
stated.
“Because this financial
information for homeless services is not available for review, neither the
grand jury, nor the public, have any basis for understanding whether funds are
being spent responsibly or effectively,” the report stated.
The report stated the
homeless population was on the rise due to the Martin v. Boise ruling, which
allows campers to not be removed from their encampment if there are no adequate
shelters available to house them, such as low-barrier facilities.
The county’s camping
ordinance is “inadequate,” the report stated, as it doesn’t discourage the
continued use of encampments. According to the report, only 55-60 percent of
campers at the Placer County Government Center are from Placer County.
The report also highlighted
the three previous contracted consultant reports on the homeless issue. The
reports, which span nearly three decades, “address the same issues and appear
to have similar findings and recommendations and have been ignored by previous
and current county officials.”
The report concludes with
recommendations for Placer County, including designating a homeless “czar” to
oversee all county services and finances for the homeless. The recommendations
include creating a Placer County homeless expense report for the public.
Their recommendations also
call for the county and all cities within Placer County to obtain funding and
establish their own low-barrier homeless facilities. The report calls on the
county Board of Supervisors to pass an “effective and enforceable” ordinance to
manage and remove unsanctioned camping on county property.
The recommendations also
call on the Board of Supervisors to compare and evaluate the two prior homeless
consulting reports “to determine why little or no action has been taken on the
previous and almost identical report recommendations.”
Placer County has until
Oct. 1 to issue a response to the grand jury’s findings and recommendations.
"We appreciate the
Grand Jury’s interest and attention to this challenging issue," said
Acting Placer County CEO Jane Christenson. "At the Board of Supervisors’
direction, staff has expanded our services and on-site presence in support of
the unsheltered residents camping at the government center. Many of the
recommendations identified by the Grand Jury have been developed and we look
forward to sharing those details with the Grand Jury in our formal response,
which should shed further light on the county’s ongoing efforts to assist the
unhoused in our community."
Placer County homelessness
was just one issue the grand jury investigated; its report also includes an
examination of the city of Lincoln’s financial state, cyber security in Placer
County and the city of Colfax’s citizen complaint process.
The full Placer County
Grand Jury 2021-22 Final Report is available online at http://www.placer.courts.ca.gov/general-grandjury-reports.shtml.
Gold Country Media
Traci Newell
July 09, 2022
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