In addition to housing, mental health support is also a big focus when it comes to the homelessness crisis. In Sacramento County, a dedicated team of mental health counselors and specialists regularly visit camps and shelters to provide services. The effort cost about $2.7 million last year, according to data the county provided to KCRA 3 Investigates. So, is it working? KCRA 3 went out twice with the outreach team to see firsthand the work the county is doing. “We help connect people experiencing homelessness with mental health services and substance use services,” Justin Hernandez said. He is a mental health counselor for the county's Homeless Engagement and Response Team. He joins other members of the camp outreach team, including behavioral health peer specialists with experience of homelessness and partners from Community Health Works and Hope Cooperative. Do I have to talk to someone several times before they accept my service?'' KCRA 3 asked Hernandez. “That may be controversial,” he said. “Sometimes they go through great trauma or have a lot of broken promises, so maybe they need to rebuild that trust in order to engage with someone new. ” Rebuilding trust can take time, Hernandez said, and consistency is key. “You all come out here quite often,” one person experiencing homelessness commented upon the team's arrival. “Well, we try to stop by each spot like once a week,” Hernandez said. Sometimes the team is successful in making a meaningful connection with someone. It may be affected by the weather. For example, one day when KCRA 3 accompanied the group, it was so hot that most people were neither in their tents nor at the campsite for the afternoon. More than 9,000 people experience homelessness in Sacramento every day. The county said HEART had not previously tracked the number of people it approached who refused service, according to the most recent data available. “We respect our clients' voices and choices, which are part of Sacramento County's behavioral health values and mission,” said Kate Fournier, HEART's mental health program coordinator. “That includes when someone refuses service.” Data shows that last year, 731 people in the city and county consented to an evaluation and at least one indicated enrollment in one professional mental health program. However, only 471 people actually received their first service. That's about 64%. Why is this so? ” KCRA 3 asked. “I think there are a lot of factors,” Fournier said. “These are people who have been let down by our system so many times. Sacramento has a lot of great services, but that doesn't mean those services are always easily available.” She said the barriers are sometimes basic. For example, it can be difficult for people experiencing homelessness to schedule and go to appointments if they don't have a fully charged phone or easy access to the internet or transportation. “Most people need housing before they can really stabilize their mental health.” That's what Anita Parkhill wanted. “So, are you looking for a home?” Hernandez asked her when he visited the camp where she was staying. She has been homeless for 20 years, she said. So whether it's an ID, a document for Social Security, something like from DHA, the process begins,” Hernandez said. Ms. Parkhill has indeed started the process, but she is not yet interested in a mental health evaluation, she said. Will we come back next time? Okay,” Hernandez said. That was a common reaction. Okay,” Hernandez said while talking to someone else at her camp. “We may come out to the same location three, four, five, 10 times before someone is ready to accept our services, but our ultimate goal is to “Yes,'' said M. Fournier. As we followed the outreach team, we saw one person who agreed to do a mental health evaluation. “Yes, you can do that,” the man told Hernandez. After the evaluation, HEART will determine whether to refer someone to Substance Use and Preventive Treatment, Outpatient Services, or our most intensive program, the Full Service Her Partnership. Last year, full-service partnerships had the highest success rate for that method. In fact, many people have come to receive our services for the first time after being introduced to this program. However, it is also the place where the number of people introduced is the lowest. HEART said this was intentional and most people would not qualify. “Full-service partnerships are designed to target individuals with the most severe mental health symptoms. Typically, these include what we call SMI, severe mental illness, schizophrenia and psychosis. And so on. And again, I think there's a common belief in the community that there's an epidemic of people experiencing homelessness, but in reality, it's only about 15 percent,” Fournier said. Told. “Thus, the numbers we enroll in the Full Service Partnership will track the general population of Sacramento County – anyone who is eligible for that service, whether or not they live there,” the county plans. He said he is cooperating with the city in moving forward. and other nonprofits are doing this kind of work with unhoused people to improve systems that track who is trying to connect to housing and mental health services. Today, different organizations may be tracking using different systems, and in the future they may all be integrated to understand what's happening to someone and how to best help that person. Our goal is to give you a more complete picture of how we can serve you. See more of California's top stories here | Download the app.
In addition to housing, mental health support is also a big focus when it comes to the homelessness crisis.
Sacramento County has a dedicated team of mental health counselors and specialists who regularly visit camps and shelters to provide services. The effort cost about $2.7 million last year, according to data the county provided to KCRA 3 Investigates. So is it working?
KCRA 3 went out twice with our outreach team to see first-hand the work the county is doing.
“We help people experiencing homelessness connect with mental health services and substance use services,” said Justin Hernandez, a mental health counselor with the county's homeless response team.
He joins other members of the camp support team, including behavioral health peer professionals who have experienced homelessness and partners from Community Health Works and Hope Cooperative.
“Does it usually take several conversations before someone accepts service?” KCRA 3 asked Hernandez.
“It can be a variety of situations,” he said. “Sometimes they go through great trauma or have a lot of broken promises, so they may need to rebuild trust in order to engage with someone new.”
Hernandez said rebuilding trust can take time and consistency is key.
“You've been out here quite a lot,” one person experiencing homelessness commented upon the team's arrival.
“Well, we try to stop by each spot about once a week,” Hernandez said.
Whether or not your team can make meaningful connections with someone can depend on the weather. For example, one day when KCRA 3 followed the group, it was so hot that most people were neither in the tent nor at the campsite for the afternoon.
More than 9,000 people experience homelessness in Sacramento County every day, according to the latest point-in-time data.
HEART has not historically tracked how many of the people they approach have refused service.
“We respect our clients' voices and choices. This is part of the values and mission of Behavioral Health of Sacramento County,” said Kate Fournier, Heart's Mental Health Program Coordinator. “That includes when someone refuses service.”
Data shows that last year, as a result of HEART's outreach work in camps and shelters, 731 people in the city and county consented to evaluations and enrolled in at least one specialized mental health program.
However, only 471 people actually received their first service. That's about 64%.
“Is that enough? Why is that so?” KCRA3 asked.
“I think there are a lot of factors,” Fournier said. “These are people who have been let down by our system so many times. Sacramento has a lot of great services, but those services aren't always easily accessible.”
She said sometimes the barriers are basic. For example, for people experiencing homelessness, it can be difficult to schedule and go to appointments if they don't have a fully charged phone or easy access to the internet or transportation.
“Most people need housing before they can really stabilize their mental health,” she says.
That's what Anita Parkhill wanted.
“So, let's look for a house?” Hernandez asked during a visit to the encampment where she was staying.
She said she has been homeless for 20 years.
“So our partners at Community Health Works are helping people prepare so-called documents. So whether it's an ID, whether it's a document that's required for Social Security, whether it's something like from the DHA. , the process begins,” Hernandez said.
Parkhill has started the process, but said she is not yet interested in a mental health evaluation.
“Next time you come back? Okay,” Hernandez said.
That was the general reaction.
“Not yet? Okay,” Hernandez said while talking to someone else at the camp.
“It may take us to the same location three, four, five, 10 times before someone gets service, but our ultimate goal is to get them to say yes. “It's about making it happen,” Fournier said.
When we tracked behavior with our outreach team, we saw one person who agreed to undergo a mental health assessment.
“Yes, you can do that,” the man told Hernandez.
After the evaluation, HEART will determine whether someone should be referred to substance use and preventive treatment, outpatient services, or our most intensive program, the Full Service Partnership.
Full-service partnerships had the highest success rate last year when it came to the number of people who were referred to the program and actually came to receive their first service. However, it is also the place with the lowest number of people referred.
HEART said this was intentional and most people would not qualify.
“Full-service partnerships are designed to target individuals with the most severe mental health symptoms. Typically, these include what we call SMI, severe mental illness, schizophrenia and psychosis, etc. Again, I think there's a common belief in the community that there's an epidemic of people experiencing homelessness, but in reality, it's only about 15 percent,” Fournier said. Ta. “So the numbers we put into the full-service partnership will track the general population who are eligible for that service, whether they live in Sacramento County or not.”
As the county moves forward with its plan, it will work with cities and other companies doing this kind of work with unhoused people to improve systems for tracking who is trying to connect to housing and mental health services. He said he is working with nonprofit organizations.
Today, different organizations may be using different systems to track it, but in the future they'll all be integrated to understand what's happening to someone and what they can do to that person. Our goal is to give you a more complete picture of how we can best serve you.
See more stories from California's top news stories. | Download the app.
