SAN DIEGO — A resource fair in South Bay San Diego on Friday connected unhoused individuals with county services, including legal services.
The fair held at Montgomery Waller Recreation Center in Palm City was organized by the San Diego District Attorney's Office. It operates similar to Homeless Court. People can get issues like low-level misdemeanors, traffic tickets, child support addressed.
"Sometimes people coming here, they have this outstanding warrant and they haven't been able to access benefits," said Matthew Wechter of the San Diego County Public Defender's Office. "They haven't been able to get their drivers license because they had a DMW hold because of that outstanding warrant or traffic case. To come here and not only get that cleared up, but to actually get a shower, get involved, get their birth certificate printed out, and benefits set up. It's a weight lifted off their shoulders."
Wechter said if an individual comes through with a low-level warrant, the DA's office and city attorney's office can potentially work with that individual to try and see if the case can get taken care of that day.
"If we can't get the case taken care of today, we'll get that warrant recalled, set a future date for them to appear, and kind of a warm handoff, so one of our attorneys will be in court with them," said Wechter.
Other organizations at the fair included Employment Development Department (EDD), Live Well San Diego, and Chula Vista Animal Care, which offered free vaccines and microchipping for pets.
The San Diego District Attorney's Office has been holding these resources fairs since 2021.
Martin Arias of the DA's Office said the need for them has been so great, starting in January 2024, they will be holding these fairs twice a month. They'll be held monthly in downtown San Diego, as well as a second location.
"[In} South County, I know homelessness maybe looks different here, individuals are couch surfing, they're not necessarily on the street," said Arias. "This is not just open to people on the street, the way we traditionally think of homelessness, this is open to everybody."
"Just being able to get these resources today all in one location is automatically a bridge out of homelessness," he added.
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