Justin Hernandez has been working as a member of Sacramento County's homeless outreach and response team for about a year and a half. Hernandez is one of 22 people on a team that visits camps to connect people experiencing homelessness with mental health and substance abuse services. The mental health counselor told KCRA 3 that she has always wanted to help people from an early age, is “grateful to have a supportive family” and understands some of the challenges faced by those less fortunate than herself. He said he didn't deal with it. KCRA 3's Lize Mitri was out with her team on two different days and witnessed someone willing to find out what service would be best for them. Most others answered “not yet” or “next time.” Asked how many attempts it would take before someone accepts the service, Hernandez said, “It could be a variety of situations.” “Some people may have experienced homelessness for years and are ready to take that step now,” he said. “Sometimes they've experienced great trauma or a lot of broken promises, so maybe they need to rebuild that trust in order to engage with someone new.” Wednesday It will be broadcast on My 58 | KCRA 3 News at 10 p.m. Sacramento County spent $2.7 million on this effort last year. KCRA 3 looks at how many people actually consent to mental health and substance abuse services and analyzes the numbers. Hernandez said consistency is key to getting people to accept the service. “A lot of it has to do with building trust,” he says. “Maybe the first time they meet us, they want to sense our intentions. And then the next time they come out, they think we're a little more serious.” So maybe you can take the plunge and start that process with us.''After the encampment is vacated, they move or lose their cell phones. “When people are experiencing homelessness, it's hard to hold onto a phone,” he says. “That's tough. When asked what he wants people to know about his job, Hernandez said: “I would definitely say it's different from the outside looking in. And I would say that.”California's Top News See more articles from | See California's top articles here. Please download the app.
Justin Hernandez has been working as a member of Sacramento County's homeless outreach and response team for about a year and a half.
Hernandez is one of 22 people on a team that visits camps to connect people experiencing homelessness with mental health and substance abuse services.
The mental health counselor told KCRA 3 that she has always wanted to help people from an early age, is “grateful to have a supportive family” and understands some of the challenges faced by those less fortunate than herself. He said he didn't deal with it.
KCRA 3's Lize Mitri was out with her team on two different days and witnessed someone willing to find out what service would be best for them. Most others answered “not yet” or “next time.”
Asked how many attempts it would take before someone accepts the service, Hernandez said, “It could be a variety of situations.”
“Some people may have experienced homelessness for years and are ready to take that step now,” 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.”
- Scheduled to air Wednesdays at 10pm on KCRA 3 News on My 58 | Sacramento County spent $2.7 million on this effort last year. KCRA 3 examines and analyzes the number of people who actually consent to mental health and substance abuse services.
Hernandez said consistency is key to getting people to accept the service.
“A lot of it has to do with building trust,” he says. “Maybe the first time they see us, they want to sense our intentions. And the next time they come out, they think we're a little more serious.” So maybe you can take the plunge and start that process with us.”
Among the challenges are not being able to track down people you've contacted after a camp is vacated, moving, or losing your cell phone.
“When people are experiencing homelessness, it's hard to hold onto a phone,” he says. “That's difficult. If you have a cell phone, it's difficult to keep that cell phone charged.”
When asked what he wants people to know about his job, Hernandez said, “I would definitely say it's different from what it looks like from the outside. And I would say I want everyone to be patient.”
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