The San Bernardino County Office of Homeless Services (OHS) and its partners have come together like never before to support the unhoused community by providing immediate shelter, increasing the county’s housing and system capacity, and engaging with families and individuals experiencing homelessness through outreach programs.
In January 2024, San Bernardino County conducted its annual Point-In-Time Count (PITC), which determines the number of individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. A key takeaway from this year’s survey was that homelessness grew by 1 percent compared to 6.6 percent the year before, which indicates progress in addressing this issue.
“Although our work is far from over, I’m glad we’re moving in the right direction,” said OHS Chief Marcus Dillard. “Much of our success can be attributed to the outreach programs that we conduct on a regular basis.”
To combat homelessness, OHS staff coordinate outreach visits to meet individuals where they are, so they can assess their needs and identify temporary housing.
During an outreach visit on March 13, OHS staff encountered Tammie Turner, a single mother living in her car with her son and two dogs.
“I had lost my job, working at a great place,” said Turner. “After that loss, I fell behind in rent. By the time I found a new job, it was too late to discuss the terms with my landlord, so we had to move out.”
Turner and her family relocated to a hotel, but she struggled to pay the $136 daily room fee. When she ran out of money, they were forced to live in her car. Every night, Turner feared the uncertainty of finding a safe place to park so they could sleep. Other challenges included finding water, dealing with harsh weather, locating a restroom and doing their laundry.
“My dogs used to bark at strangers passing by my car at all times of the night,” she said. “They were trying to warn us of potential danger.”
Turner was able to locate temporary housing through the assistance of OHS staff. They placed Turner and her family in an emergency shelter, offered housing navigation services, connected her with rental assistance, opened a case to enroll her and her son in health insurance, and connected them to free legal services to help Turner apply for Social Security Disability Insurance for her son.
“Now that we’ve found temporary housing, I go to work with a restful mind knowing that my son and my dogs are safe,” said Turner. “Getting back on my feet has restored a sense of pride and dignity.”
OHS continues to support Turner by providing case management services and working on securing permanent housing. The process of securing permanent housing includes developing an individual service plan, identifying and addressing barriers, finding sources of income to increase stability and locating housing units.
“We are truly blessed to have a number of people helping us,” said Turner. “It shows that there’s still good people in this world. The program that I’m in is remarkable, and I can’t say thank you enough. Words cannot express my gratitude.”
Similar to Turner, several individuals have found housing through OHS’s outreach visits. During that visit alone, OHS successfully housed seven individuals.
OHS’s primary focus is to work with community and faith-based organizations, educational institutions, private industry and all levels of government to create a comprehensive countywide network of service delivery to the homeless in San Bernardino County. OHS also supports the county’s Homeless Provider Network and Interagency Council on Homelessness. Additionally, OHS collaborates with other agencies to organize the annual PITC and countywide Homeless Summit.
For more information about OHS, please visit https://sbchp.sbcounty.gov/.
This testimony is just one of many that will be shared in a series of stories that aim to educate the public about homelessness and to keep the public informed about the county’s efforts to address homelessness.
Additional County Update News – September 26, 2024
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