2018 was a year of growth and development for the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT). HOT was initially intended to filter transient related calls from Patrol so they were available to respond to higher priority calls for service. El Dorado County is one of the few counties in the state that has extremely limited treatment or housing options available for citizens within county lines. It was evident that there was a need for the creation of a unit designed for working with the county’s transient population and other county resources to connect them with the appropriate services that they qualify for. Additionally, it is HOT’s primary goal to find more permanent housing solutions for any and all who are willing to help themselves. The intention is to provide total care for community members who ask or need it and to apply total enforcement in those situations where it is appropriate.
Since the inception of HOT, the function of this group has somewhat evolved from its initial mission. HOT has now familiarized and formed relationships with the majority of the county’s transient population. They still continue to handle the majority of calls for service related to transients and regularly contact homeless individuals new to our area. HOT has embraced a much more global approach in order to remedy some of the county’s ongoing lack of
permanent housing issues. In the past year, they have been working very closely with other county entities to try to establish and streamline a process to address the county's deficiencies in housing and substance abuse treatment facilities.
Homeless Outreach Team
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Operations
Over the past year, HOT has been contacted by
numerous private property owners who have
expressed concern over transient related
activity taking place on their property. This
became a major focus for HOT as there has
never been a mechanism in place for property
owners to work directly with law enforcement
to achieve long term resolutions for these types
of issues. Likewise, they have been actively
organizing cleanup efforts in collaboration with
community members and county entities on
county owned properties.
The ideology behind community cleanups is to
achieve territorial reinforcement for those
areas impacted by the homeless. HOT hopes
to inspire an Integrated Field Force in which
they are able to gain the investment of all
county organizations in their mission related
to homelessness.
In the next year, HOT hopes to have a
representative of the Sheriff’s Office appointed
to the County’s Continuum of Care committee,
house and find treatment for as many
individuals as possible, and maintain their
efforts with respect to territorial reinforcement.
Additionally, HOT is actively working to
develop a system to allow HOT the opportunity
to deliver in field services, already available
within the county, directly to the homeless
population.
HOT estimates that the county-wide homeless
population is about 800+ persons. Through
2018, HOT has been able to assist 85 persons
to rehabilitation facilities, transitional housing
or family reunification.