Santa Clara county wants to help homeless people on probation to avoid additional time in prison providing legal services to the camps.
People on probation must attend periodic meetings with a probation agent and judicial hearings. However, for homeless people who lack transport, arranging these appointments becomes a … obstacle, which can lead to longer probation periods or the return to jail. The county seeks to reduce these barriers through a mobile probation services.
The County has acquired two vehicles, technology and equipment to operate a mobile service center thanks to a state subsidy of $ 707,000. The trucks will offer the same resources as the physical center, which will allow homeless people to contact a probation agent to meet their requirements. Agents may also inform homeless people about their next appearance before the Court, provide them with hygiene kits and connect them with employment resources, drug treatment and mental health. Each truck has capacity for five agents.
“If we do not achieve that connection, it is likely that the person does not access so many services,” said Daron Story, manager of the probation division, at a press conference on Wednesday. “We want it to access as many treatment services and programs as possible, but we also want to avoid any other judicial appearance that may not be presented.”
A truck will carry out dissemination activities in areas where it is likely to find homeless people, including parking in front of courts and community centers. The other truck will be used during community events such as resource fairs and national night. Story said they have not determined the frequency with which they will carry out dissemination activities, but many of the people missing probation meetings tend to be homeless, he said.
“We have a higher rate of people who receive an arrest warrant for not presenting themselves before us, and they generally have no home, which increases the stress of their situation,” Story told San José Spotlight.
County officials said approximately 5,000 people are on probation at a given time, although they could not specify how many are homeless.
Kamal Ameen, 48, former homeless resident, knows the importance of this service.
He was homeless during the last decade until last week, when he was offered a room at the Hotelameen Arena, he was previously accused of possession of drugs and raid. Not presenting to his … judicial hearings and probation meetings resulted in constantly putting it in custody. He said that the meetings were missing because he was not in his bockals, he took the night before or had how to get there.
He entered and left prison seven times in two years, lost all his belongings and had to start over.
The last time he left prison half a year ago, he decided that he needed to do things differently. What finally changed his life was when his probation agent reached his camp with a social worker to help him get a home. Not all probation agents do so much to help someone return to society, he said, so the mobile probation unit is vital for homeless residents.
“It will be an excellent intermediate step for all,” Amen told San José Spotlight. “My life has changed since last week.”
Contact Joyce Chu in [email protected] o @joyce_speaks en X.
