Every Monday I find my neighbor’s ER at the end of my driveway – the Sunday edition. He peruses it from front to back before rolling it back up and depositing it under my mail box on his way around the block. I always give the comics a good scan before folding the whole thing into a stack in the garage. I usually end up reading the rest when I spread it out under the cat dishes.
Last weekend (9/8) Wolcott published a whole section on homelessness. Most of it was picked up from other newspapers. One article that caught my eye was from the Bay Area News Group, about a new ordinance in San Mateo County. “Where refusing shelter bed is a crime...”
I feel that title is misleading, and furthers the notion that anyone trying to enforce existing laws regarding illegal camping and trespassing is “criminalizing homelessness“.
“Earlier this year, the county [of San Mateo] adopted an ordinance that allows officials to cite and arrest homeless people who repeatedly refuse a shelter bed.” Read further – campers have to be not only warned that a camp site is illegal, but given two written warnings after that before they can be cited.
The county has also implemented “CARE court” as an alternative to jail time.
“CARE Court allows family members, close friends, first responders, behavioral health providers, and others to refer people to enter the program, either by contacting county officials or filing a petition directly with the court. A judge can then order participants to enroll in tailored treatment plans, which may include placement in mental health facilities or permanent supportive housing.“
Having dealt with friends and family members suffering mental health crises, addiction, homelessness, and constant interactions with law enforcement, I’d like to see how an ordinance like this would work in Chico/Butte County. But “disability rights advocates have argued that CARE Court is a punitive solution that strips people of their civil rights.”
I don’t agree. I think allowing people to live in a state of filth and mental illness alongside a busy street is horrible, save me your little speech about civil rights.
Ironically, the article reports that only about 114 of the county’s estimated 2,130 homeless people live in the county, and most of them live in vehicles, which are not subject to the ordinance. Unless the vehicle becomes inoperative or unsafe for the road, or the registration expires, at which time the person becomes subject not only to vehicle safety ordinances (towing) but the shelter ordinance as well.
I’m reminded that Butte County, population roughly 201,000, has a homeless population estimated at 1250 persons, county wide. Meanwhile, San Mateo County has over 700,000 population, but only 2,130 homeless? What is Butte County doing wrong?
The state has called for all California counties to set up CARE court by 2024. Last year KRCR reported that “Butte County says it’s on track to implement CARE Court by Dec. 1 of next year [2024], but according to Behavioral Health Department director Scott Kennelly, he can’t guarantee the county will be at the full staffing levels likely required by the program by then.” I don’t think anything has changed, Kennelly was just on the news again recently complaining about funding and staffing shortages.
I don’t know how San Mateo funds their mental health facilities or their permanent supportive housing. Here’s a question – do they send them to Butte County? Cause historically, that’s been how Butte County funds the Behavioral Health Department, by selling “beds” to other counties and cities around the state.
Wouldn’t it be better if Butte County got on the sending end instead the receiving end of these programs?
Chico Taxpayers Association 
Come to the monthly Butte County Behavioral Health Advisory Board meetings held Wednesdays at Chico Youth from 3-5pm. There you can learn about Behavioral Health updates to hiring, program status both current and coming soon (CARE Court) data outcomes, and much more.
I’m sorry, those meetings are not an option for me. I did find the Advisory Board website, it’s full of information but I’m not an industry insider so I don’t understand a lot of the charts. Maybe you have time to answer some questions for the average person.
What are Non-Clinical Adjusted Vacancies Due to Pending Offers? Does that mean patients or employees?
I notice the agency is looking for people to serve as Certification Review Hearing Officers – persons who would “determine if a patient can be detained in a facility for mental health reasons“. Is this related to CARE Court? This is a pretty heavy position – determining if a person should be held involuntarily. The qualifications restrict the position to the following professions:
State qualified administrative law hearing officer
Medical doctor
Licensed psychologist
Registered nurse
Lawyer
Certified law student
Licensed clinical social worker
Licensed marriage and family therapist
But these people are offered $60-75/hour? And they are not even required to be at the hearing in person?
Could you give us any information on when CARE Court will actually become a reality? Will it require an ordinance like the one they have instituted in San Mateo County?
Last night Tom Van Overbeek was on the news, responding to the recent Grand Jury report – he seemed to be advocating such an order – “either take shelter or go somewhere else…”
Hi Juanita-if you or anyone else cannot attend in person there is a virtual option. Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84468774592?pwd=ZzZYQ0Q4M2xNQjFJSEQ3dDU4V1Fydz09
Meeting ID: 950 0919 1864
Passcode: 713169
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 950 0919 1864
Passcode: 713169
As for your questions above:
Sorry can’t do Zoom – when i tried to participate in city meetings via Zoom they told me i didn’t have good enough internet and my computer was out of date. Are your meetings recorded so that I can watch them on your website and email questions to staff?
I have had no reply from Scott Kennelly regarding my questions. Why is it so important I come to a meeting, shouldn’t I be able to read reports on the website? Oh and thanks for the 24 hours heads up and no location – “Chico youth…” I had to search the board to find the location. A 3pm meeting in a traffic hellhole – how about an offer of a ride? The last time I went to that neighborhood, to renew my driver’s license, a man who was unhappy with the service he was not receiving at the BCBH center there was threatening people at the DMV office. We were told that our appointment had been cancelled and the DMV was temporarily shut down while the police dealt with the unhappy man. As we left we barely avoided an accident with a red-light runner who t-boned the car ahead of us.
If you come back Mr. Kennelly you’re going to be expected to give straight answers. Believe it or not, you are a public employee, and this is all public information.