Photo: All photos courtesy of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office
Written By: Patrice Spears
On December 16th, 2022 the Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement Team (HOPE) hosted a quality of life community outreach for the homeless in the Morongo Basin Area.
During the event the HOPE Team located and visited 18 homeless camps in the area and spoke with 21 individuals experiencing homelessness. The HOPE Team offered these individuals information about services for mental health treatment, medical treatment, housing assistance, and other social service programs.
All photos courtesy of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office
Eighteen of the individuals were given referrals for services and 6 were offered direct assistance from the outreach team.
There were 3 individuals who expressed a desire to be reunited with family living outside of the Morongo Basin Area. The HOPE Team is working to get in touch with their families and assist them in reuniting with their loved ones.
The Hope Team also participated in another event with the Morongo Basin Station’s Coffee with a Cop Event. There they met with residents and discussed the quality of life concerns that they have in relation to being homeless.
Funding for the HOPE Team is provided through Senate Bill 170. Bill 170 provides funding to the Department which funds ongoing outreach operations like this. The HOPE Team, and the organizations that are assisting with helping solve the concerns and needs of the individuals they meet, will continue this work throughout the county over the next several years. The goal of this operation is to offer better assistance to the increasing homeless population.
If you or anyone you know is homeless and in need of services and assistance, please contact the HOPE Team at (909)387-0623 or send an email to hope@sbsd.org .
