DATE/TIME: March 14, 2025, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
INCIDENT: Outreach Operation Shelter Me
LOCATION: Hesperia and Surrounding Communities
SUMMARY: On Friday, March 14, 2025, from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Community Service & Reentry Division's Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement Team (H.O.P.E.) conducted "Operation Shelter Me" in Hesperia and surrounding communities during inclement weather. This initiative aims to connect staff with unhoused residents, offering them housing, medical, and mental health treatment services. During this operation, the team focused on individuals with significant mental illnesses to link them to restorative mental health pathways.
Operation Highlights:
• The H.O.P.E. Team located 21 individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Nine individuals received referrals to assistance programs.
• Two individuals were linked with follow-up professional services.
In June 2023, San Bernardino County opted into Laura's Law, also known as Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT). Laura's Law provides opportunities for court-ordered community treatment pathways for individuals with histories of hospitalization, incarceration, or violence. No individuals were identified as candidates for assisted outpatient treatment during this operation.
The H.O.P.E. Team and other aligned resources will continue similar operations throughout the County over the next year, thanks to "Community Concerns" funding. This special funding, approved by the County Board of Supervisors, allows the Sheriff's Department to address topics of concern, such as homelessness and mental illness, for county residents.
If you know of individuals experiencing homelessness who need services, please contact the H.O.P.E. Team at 909-387-0623 or hope@sbcsd.org.
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
