DATE/TIME: September 29, 2023
INCIDENT: OPERATION SHELTER ME
LOCATION: The City of Highland and Surrounding Areas
SUMMARY:
On Friday, September 29, 2023, from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Community Service & Reentry Division, Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement Team (H.O.P.E.) conducted "Operation Shelter Me" in Highland and surrounding areas impacting the city. Operation Shelter Me aims to connect staff with unhoused residents and offer them housing, medical and mental health treatment services.
During this operation, the team focused on those with the most significant mental illness to get those individuals linked to restorative mental health pathways.
The H.O.P.E. Team located 46 individuals experiencing homelessness. The team provided 30 individuals with referrals to programs for assistance, linked 14 to direct aid, and two received immediate medical intervention. One individual was provided transportation to a San Bernardino area Crisis Stabilizaton Unit for voluntary mental health crisis intervention services. Seventy-four percent of the individuals contacted were open to accepting services, including shelter, treatment, housing, and other services. While service capacity is limited, the teams will continue to work with this population to get them into services as they become available.
In June of 2023, San Bernardino County opted into Laura’s Law, also called Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT). Laura’s Law provides opportunities for court-ordered community treatment pathways for individuals with histories of hospitalization or incarceration, and histories of violence to themselves or others. During this operation, deputies initiated three Laura’s Law investigations. At the conclusion of these investigations, individuals determined to meet AOT criteria will be referred to appropriate county resources for possible placement into treatment pathways.
The team provided this focused outreach due to Senate Bill 170, which provided funding to the Department to support ongoing operations of this nature. The H.O.P.E. Team and other aligned resources will continue operations of this type throughout the county over the next several years.
If you know of persons experiencing homelessness who need services, please contact the H.O.P.E. Team at 909-387-0623 or [email protected]
Refer: The H.O.P.E. Team
Station: Community Service & Reentry Division
Phone No: (909) 387-0623
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department
