By Sharon Byrne
Santa Barbara has a pretty cool program – restorative police and court. We’ve borrowed some tenets of the model from Santa Monica, and adapted them for our jurisdiction.
The term ‘homeless’ probably evoked an image of the crew hanging on State and Haley every day, but the true spectrum is broader. I borrowed these definitions from the article Million Dollar Murray, by Malcolm Gladwell – superb reading for understanding this issue, and why many solutions we’ve tried haven’t worked.
Transitional homeless make up about 80% of the homeless population, and use the fewest resources. They need a job, or a roof, just a little help, and they’re back on their feet. You’ve most likely never encountered any transitional homeless individuals, unless you were personally connected to them.
Chronically homeless have been our streets the longest – years. They may have been homeless in other jurisdictions before coming here. This group, according to Gladwell, makes up about 10% of the total homeless population, but consume enormous health and social care resources. Think of the chronic drunk down on the sidewalk, passed out. The police come, the fire dept comes (first responders for medical emergencies) and then the ambulance comes. Or maybe he gets arrested and booked into the jail. He’s out the next day, and back to it. Wash, rinse, repeat, multiply, and it’s easy to see why this group is so costly, and why it creates the biggest set of problems for a city.
Nobody can ever seem to help them, the addicted and mentally ill who refuse to leave the street. They have fallen out of every program, been kicked out of every shelter….and thus become the domain of the restorative police.
The restorative police force consists of two police officers (both Europeans, incidentally), one fantastic volunteer, three outreach workers, and six community service liaisons. The model is still evolving, but basically they use the power of the badge, and the pressure of the court to apply some stick and a bit of carrot to the most chronically homeless individuals on our streets.
Officer Hove was our lone restorative police officer until recently. Several business organizations lobbied for additional police officers last year, given the effectiveness of what we’d seen in Santa Monica, and the city put together this program.
The two restorative officers work this most difficult client base. They ferry clients between appointments as far away as Los Angeles, find them housing, and work to get them off the street. Sometimes being here is not good for them, or a treatment or program they need isn’t here, so there are also some relocations. Three outreach workers extend the officer’s social work capabilities, and six community service liaisons act as the eyes and ears of the police on State, the beachfront, and Milpas St – where the chronic homeless have historically been most prevalent.
Restorative Court meets every Wednesday from 10:00-noon. It consists of the restorative officers, the public defender’s office, and representatives from: the ACLU, Bringing Our Community Home, the Salvation Army (the ‘Sally’), and now Casa Esperanza. Sometimes the police need an immediate place for a client who is finally willing to come in off the street. The Sally has been providing some of that immediate shelter, and because their program requires sobriety and structure, it’s can be a very good fit.
The court works with clients who’ve received multiple tickets for various (and usually repeat) offenses, and offers to make those tickets go away in exchange for entering a program, relocating to be with supportive family, or entering housing. This is the stick, and the carrot.
The court has successfully handled 107 cases in the last year for some of the longest-term chronically homeless in our city. The homeless count in 2011 found 1,500 homeless here, and we know from Gladwell’s article that 10% of the homeless are that expensive chronic group, the clientele the restorative team works with. These results, then, are pretty impressive. The restorative police estimate they’ve helped place an additional 50 individuals without needing to put them through the court. The budget is $350,000 annually for the restorative policing program, a pittance in the city budget, though that funding is at risk. The Sally has a very modest budget as well, proving cost effective solutions are very attainable, even with the subset of homeless that traditionally consumes the most expensive public safety and emergency healthcare resources.
There’s always concern that someone might leave a program and resume their life on the street here. They might fall out of sobriety, or re-offend. These are the hardest cases, so recidivism is to be expected, depressing as that may be. But it doesn’t stop this team from pressing forward. It’s also why the model is continually evolving: as the police and court learn which solutions and programs (some of the needed programs are in other cities) are the most effective for their different cases, they shift their strategies accordingly.
They’re happy to thoroughly educate you on what they do, so if you’d like to have them come to your community meeting or business group, just schedule it with them. Email Mureen Brown Mureen Brown (their fantastic volunteer) at mureenbrown@yahoo.com.
I see today they are dangling restorative policing as an RDA project whose money will be lost soon. Wrong. With 50% of police blotter reports responding to chronic vagrant activities and abuses, getting rid of this sub-populations deleterious and concentrated impact on our city police force’s time, money and effort is job number one. Control of the vagrancy problems is a fundamental part of our city police budget.
Kicking the vagrant problem out of our town is what the police should be doing with basic police operational funds. This is not an optional program. This is not a program to be held hostage by the loss of RDA monies. This shall be built into its regular operating budget because this is what voters want.
Vagrancy is not homelessness. Vagrancy is a lifestyle choice. Choose this lifestyle somewhere else.
Downtown retail and tourism stinks because the police have not been directed to clean up mess as fundamental to its policing duties. Look no further than your daily police blotter: vagrants, drugs, alcohol and domestic violence. This is your real crime in Santa Barbara and this is where primary operational police department money must be allocated.
The correct Gladwell link
http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_02_13_a_murray.html
Interesting take on the 10%, but what about the other 90%? When I was a kid, lower State was exclusively the 10% (which was probably 100% back then). Chronic addicts who generally left people alone in pursuit of their next fix of drugs or booze. Now it’s legions of fresh off the bus criminals and punks looking for an easy score, with obscene signs and catcalls and aggressive menacing pack behavior. Perhaps every one way ticket to SB should trigger a return trip ticket to be held by the cops until inevitably needed?
Addicts don’t leave you alone between their fixes. They burgle houses, yours and mine, getting the good to fence for ready cash for their next fix. They need to do this every four hours so one addict can ruin a good neighborhood in short order with their one-person crime spree.
Homeless Inc did estimate bums were collecting over $500,000 a year in street donations from “well-meaning” bleeding heart pigeons. No wonder they come to SB: free room and board and streets paved with gold just for the asking.
El Smurfo – you’re ahead of me! I wanted to write about those latter two camps in next week’s column, because you are correct: they are not in the 10% of chronically homeless individuals. The goth-yoach-punk-grunge set are not homeless. They’re traveling, doing the vagabond thing, touring Portland-SF-Santa Barbara-Santa Monica etc. They camp by the freeway, panhandle for booze and cigs, taunt and intimidate, and move on. That set needs a swift kick in the butt from SBPD, and us citizens, to let them know we don’t tolerate that behavior here. The second set, the newly released felons (thanks AB109)…who masquerade as homeless…very problematic. Assaults have been reported on Milpas St and break-ins on State St by businesses encountering that group.
Hove? Seriously… That’s the nine to five, meat and potatoes restorative program I liked to be running. These people are called “on the streets” for a reason boys and girls!
By getting prisoners out of the state correctional system, it reduces the numbers that now get to demand federally mandated deluxe health care the rest of us would have to die and go to heaven to get for ourselves. Do the crime and get the tax dollar dimes. And then rob granny on State Street if the free dimes don’t keep flowing.
Nice products of our recent cradle to grave nanny society. Nanny needs to sit in the time-out corner. But what do you expect for communal values when these thugs have been schooled in our instant gratification public entitlement educational system.
“It consists of the restorative officers, the public defender’s office, and representatives from: the ACLU, Bringing Our Community Home, the Salvation Army (the ‘Sally’), and now Casa Esperanza. ”
Too bad that none of them represent the taxpayers who ultimately fund these operations.
Where do these European cops come from?? France, Austria, where in Europe?
Kel Hove is a Dane, been here 25 years. Officer Craig Burleigh is a Brit, been here 10 years or so, I think.
Well here we are again , Truth is you are NEVER going to have a cure FOR Homeless.
Why Because each and every day MORE PEOPLE are becoming HOMELESS BruceW.Heckman Age 53
On the Streets since 1977 BY Choice Living on the Streets of Santa Barbara = 1977
Do you want the Drunks to stop drinking on the streets of SB
People of SB who have the ($money$) = STOP GIVING $$$$ Out of your pocket to them,
youll be suprise how much YOU <—- SB people when doing this will make a change of your streets In TRASH CANS STOP leaving New unopened Beer,Wine for them to find Plus Bags of POT …………..But all in all in the TRUTH YOUR NEVER GONNA STOP IT Its here Just dont do it yourself <—— the only change is SELF Just Be HAPPY you dont do it But also understand this you dont have CONTROL but of 1 self not others ok … Thank you 4 your Time Praise God
And be thankful
Its Not YOU!!!
PS Oh yeah ! Stop calling people Names that are Not
Nice ok because its only showing what you are
If there will always be homeless, then we tempt fate trying to change this course of events. We need to just work around this reality, and not let this inherent lifestyle choice some people make for themselves get in our own faces.
If these people will always remain homeless, they just need to do this somewhere else because it does not fit into our own lifestyle choices nor should we be asked pay for this lifestyle choice they make for themselves.
The US has a vast array of social services. If they can’t, or most likely won’t, avail themselves of what is already on the table, then they simply have to move on to where they can continue their lifestyle choices without handouts or interference into our own lives.
If these people will always remain homeless, they just need to do this somewhere else because it does not fit into our own lifestyle choices nor should we be asked pay for this lifestyle choice they make for themselves.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Praise God , I am so Thankful this person who wrote this above has not the CONTROL over who Lives or Dies …….Oh And By the way Planet Earth Belongs to all people where ever we choose to live and how we live is a persons Right <—— KEEP YOUR MONEY ha ha if your US GOV keeps you believeing in there LIE (Laugh) If the US has the Answer WHY ARE THEY IN DEBT
Your Soon to Be WORKING FOR PLASTIC CREDIT And you say go somewhere else
Ha!!! Yes Praise GOD that Just what we are waiting for and its called HEAVEN Listen its a BAD WORLD and the LUST for it will keep you in it GooooooDBye $$$$$$$$money
Hello JESUS CHRIST LORD GOD BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
2 Thessalonians 3:10
You Cannot LIVE on bread alone BUT YOU CAN LIVE ON EVERY WORD OF GOD
Thank you Jesus
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
Peace Bro August 19, 2012 at 6:23 pm # 2 Thessalonians 3:10
Understand THIS!
Jesus Said : I did not come to Bring —-(PEACE)—–I Come to (SAVE) The –>Sinner
There For there is no PEACE on —–(Earth)—— thats what hes trying to show you so that you (Will) see your Bad that was tought to you Take CONTROL of what you have Learned
about EVIL and stop sinning and turn to GOD <— (Which is the TRUTH) Praise God
Thank You Jesus!!! Those WHO Chose Sinning Word of TRUTH WILL HAVE
ETERNAL LIFE God Bless those WHO are Saving there Selfs
BAD WOLRD
BE GOOD
IN IT!
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
Those WHO Chose Sinning Will Perish
Those Who LOVE the TRUTH and ABIDE in the WORD of TRUTH
Will (Have ETERNAL LIFE)
Dont Praise What (your hands have made)
PRAISE THE MAN WHO MADE YOUR HANDS
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
Good people say,do,listen,walk -Give- What was given to others that need-> From a Given
can see
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
:-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)
:-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)
:-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)
Heart Dont be given IN to BAD
FAITH Brings Light and shows what BAD does in all that BAD can do in all the ways it HIDES in……Bad can ONLY destroy If You <— yes you
and understand what BAD you have and take CONTROL of it and STOP doing and Start
doing what is the TRUTH of being YOUR GOOD That is the CHANGE
You see YOU was Made Good ——(But was Showed) it was EASIER to lie because EVERYONE was doing it and was also told it is HARD to be good In The LIGHT OF TRUTH Praise God
Thank you Jesus !!!!
Today,
Praise God!
In all things put god First-> And you (will) be the LIGHT for God and hes Light he will make you…. Love Stands On TOP of all things. Be that love with him and share all things with him. BE ALL – IN ALL – WITH ALL
Today we stand getting closer to GOD and is WORD of TRUTH.
When 1 takes the truth of the word of God,and puts it to work in hes or her life
1 begins to see hear and feel the CHANGE of a Good way of living what is now the RIGHT way 1 is to live towards life for God that HE shares with US in all hes LOVE for you and ME
Praise God !!!
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
Praise God !!!
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
My Prayer is for those who need GOD
Today we Lift our Holy Hands to our Lord and God and praise hes HOLY name
Thank YOU! JESUS
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
54.He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has (possesses now) eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.55.For My flesh is the true and genuine food , and My blood is the true and geniune drink.56.He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood dwells continually in Me, and I [in like manner dwell continually] in him.
JOHN 6:54,55,56
Praise God!!! Thank You JESUS
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
Things to be Thankful For : Being able to thank and praise the LORD= Jesus Christ
In the world today so much is happening and its NOT for the Better, TRUTH In The Light
is being showed Just how bad things are . So as God said = If they would (ONLY) turn and ask for to be forgived , I [ would ] Heal them. Praise God Thank you Jesus
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
TRUTH In The Light
BruceWHeckman 53 -SB,CA
So as we Now see with our (Own) eyes – (HEAR) with our (own) ears.
Just what is GOING on around the whole world -> It is NOT Good and if you
people out there think for 1 moment Life is GOOD – well for people who are in line with OUR LORD and GOD = Jesus Christ then your Life will be good . Other then this
well lets Not talk about that …….So here is your choice
TRUTH + JESUS = ETERNAL LIFE
LIE + SATAN = DEATH ETERNAL (Out of GODS “Sight”)
TRUTH In The Light
BruceWHeckman 54 -SB,CA
Well i can see that the WORLD is still trying to [FIGURE OUT] how to make things better for THE PEOPLE in this WORLD! (WARNING) its TIME People that you wake UP to the TRUTH <——- YES THE TRUTH
YOU ARE [NOT] IN CONTROL [ONLY] but what YOU do . AND if you THINK YOU can (CHANGE) WHAT is FIXING to Happen THAT GOD HIMSELF is to BRING upon THIS WHOLE [WORLD] well Nice Try
But understand this [YOUR NOT] God . But what you can DO is ask GOD right now in your HEART to forgive you for your sins that you have caused towards HIM and ask for JESUS to come into your LIFE before its to LATE and seek Hes [WORD of TRUTH] which is in the HOLY BIBLE
HE
ONLY
LOVES
YOU
BELIEVERS
Be Nice!
INSTRUCTIONS
BEFORE
LEAVING
EARTH Praise GOD all you in the EARTh
Love God with all your HEART,MIND,SOUL,STRENGHTH
Light of Faith
BruceWJHeckman@Hotmail.com <~~~~~ E-mail me Thanks
Bruce Heckman
BruceWHeckman 54 -SB,CA
TRUTH In The Light
Each day we the People come closer to [GODS] Truth with our eyes wide open and our ears to what we are seeing. Praise God that we understand the BAD are coming to its END of Times of NOT being [ABLE] to cause what it does to people And the LIES that people stand behind of what they create for themselfs and others that agree with them. This will all soon be done away with and this [we] Thank our LORD and GOD Jesus Christ . Let the (WiLL) of our LORD be done. Amen
brucewjheckman@hotmail.com <~ Email address Each & everyone Love God
TRUTH In The Light
<3 Thank You Jesus
Yes I’m back