EL CAJON, Calif. — Resources in El Cajon to assist with the homelessness crisis are stretched thin. One group is even calling East County a "resource desert."
CBS 8’s Abbie Black went on a ride-along with a non-profit to see just how hard it can be for people who are struggling to get the help they need.
Karina Hernandez hits the road with a team from Home Start Inc., a non-profit that offers wrap around services for people experiencing homelessness.
“I really want to make a difference into the community,” said Lasheila Williams, Outreach Supervisor and Case Manager, Home Start Inc.
We stopped on East Main Street near the Salvation Army to make contact with a client, named Cecil. He’s been waiting for housing for more than three years.
“I got approved for an apartment but my application got kicked out,” said Cecil.
He was in the County’s Equus hotel voucher program now Cecil is in home start’s coordinating entry system in hopes of getting a housing a match but it’s not a guarantee.
“It’s not an automatic housing, it’s a housing opportunity that could come up and you get matched,” said Hernandez.
Encampments were illegal in El Cajon long before other cities passed bans. Hotel vouchers are more difficult to come by there as well.
“We do partner well with El Cajon Police,” said Hernandez.
The non-profit is mostly funded by the City of El Cajon.
An alleyway off of East Main and Ballard Streets often gets filled with encampments, but it was recently cleared out. Some who were living in the alley before it was cleared shifted a block away at a bus stop on East Main.
“Are you interested in an outreach service so we can connect and build a relationship and get you housing options,” asked Hernandez.
There is the East County Transitional Living Center which is a temporary shelter but not everyone wants to go.
That’s where Home Start helps people enroll in their system to initiate the process of finding housing and building connections to be a familiar face.
Hernandez says the burden of helping the 800 or more people experiencing homelessness in El Cajon is starting to get lighter.
“East County used to be and it is still kind of known as a ‘resource desert’ but other agencies are coming out here seeing the need is needed here for additional resources for individuals to hopefully get off the street,” said Hernandez.
Even as the need grows, a little persistence and TLC with a bag of snacks and wipes can go a long way in helping the community to see another side of homelessness a little clearer.
“It is true we house someone and someone else becomes homeless,” said Hernandez.
She says no matter the outcome, everyday is a good day when she engages with people experiencing homelessness.
“You become some kind of hope for someone who is down on their luck and help them when they want to help themselves,” said Hernandez.
El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells says they are in early discussions to welcome a San Diego Rescue Mission Navigation Center which is a 30-day emergency shelter. One has been opened in Oceanside and National City.
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