The Sandoval Garcia family recounts their struggle to find housing in a July 20 interview, three months after a fire at their Citrus Heights apartment. // M. Hazlip
By Sara Beth Williams–
Three months ago, the Sandoval Garcia family lost everything in a fire at their Citrus Heights apartment, leaving them homeless while in search of housing.
The family of five, including a 16-year-old former San Juan High School student, a middle schooler, and an elementary school student, endured a fire in their second-story apartment near Sunrise Mall. The April 13 blaze took the lives of two family dogs and also resulted in minor injuries, according to a Sentinel report at the time.
Since the incident, the family has struggled to find permanent housing, while receiving help from the nonprofit Citrus Heights Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART) and a “Families Living in Transition” program through the San Juan Unified School District.
McKinney-Vento Liaison Lucia Rodriguez-V, who works with the school district on behalf of families who lack regular or adequate nighttime residence, spoke with The Sentinel on behalf of the Sandoval Garcia family.
“They didn’t have proof of income or rental history,” said Rodriguez-V, retelling the family’s struggle to find housing.
HART Board of Directors member Kaylon McBride, together with the school’s liaison, have been assisting the Sandoval Garcia family in finding housing. “We try to put together a pre-screening [rental] package that they can hand over to property managers to try to reduce unnecessary applications that might get denied,” said McBride.
When initial local financial assistance ran out, Rodriguez-V said the family found camping in Colfax, but then had to commute to Citrus Heights to work and the cost of gas and other necessities added up. Later, the family was able to secure camping at Folsom Lake.
The day before the family was scheduled to meet with another landlord, the family was evicted from their Folsom Lake campsite. “They were given an hour to leave,” said Rodriguez-V. She relayed the feelings of the mother: “She said, ‘I don’t really care how people treat me, but to be cruel to my kids is what really hurts.’”
“I get it, they’ve got rules,” said McBride. “One of you has to have a current ID, but if one of those were lost in the fire, and you haven’t had time to get one yet, it’s very difficult.”
A phone call from The Sentinel to the Folsom Lake Ranger Station on July 19 resulted in a park representative stating that specific information about eviction incidents could not be provided. However, the representative said any type of illegal activity can result in eviction from the campgrounds.
According to the Folsom Lake Sector Office, camping at the lake costs $33 per night and campers are given a seven-day limit per campsite and may not camp for more than 30 days in a calendar year. McBride also explained that campers must have valid identification and up-to-date car registration tags while camping.
Earlier this month, with the help of a connection through friends, the family finally found a landlord who agreed to rent to them.
“Now we are just working with different grants to acquire deposits and first month’s rent,” said Rodriguez-V.
While the Sandoval Garcia family has been given some furniture from friends and other contacts, the family of five is still in need of things like clothes, and beds for the kids’ rooms. “They are really starting from scratch. All of their money they could save got spent on hotels and gas,” said Rodriguez-V.
Rodriguez-V and McBride both work with multiple families and say convey it has been hard for many to find new housing, not just the Sandoval Garcia family.
“It’s a bigger reflection of what’s going on. There were a lot of scammers,” said Rodriguez V.
“The face of homeless is not one stereotype,” added McBride. “This was a family of five that paid their rent on time every month for many years.”
Editor’s note: The Sentinel has confirmed an official donation link to help the Sandoval Garcia family has been set up through HART’s website at citrusheightshart.org/donate. A link on that page lets donors click “Make a Special Donation to Support the Sandoval Garcia Family.”
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Volunteers serve homeless guests a hot meal at a local church as part of a local winter shelter program. // CH Sentinel
Updated Feb. 25, 12:30 p.m.–
With rain drops falling on a stormy February afternoon, about two dozen homeless men and women began arriving at a temporary “intake center” set up at Messiah Lutheran Church in Citrus Heights.
Familiar “guests” were checked in using simple paper identification cards with a photo, and newcomers were screened for alcohol and drugs before having a picture taken and an ID created. After checking in, the homeless guests could be seen chatting while seated around a half-dozen round tables, waiting for a van to arrive and transport them to an area church for a meal and overnight stay.
At 6 p.m., guests piled into a large passenger van owned by The Way Ministries and took off for a baptist church in Carmichael, which had agreed to host the homeless for a week.
“Dig in,” said Dave Brown, pastor of The Church on Cypress, after leading a short prayer before the meal. Salad bowls were placed at each table, and guests lined up to be served a hot meal — with chicken enchiladas cooked by Pastor Brown and served up by volunteers.
Following the meal, guests checked in with a volunteer to be assigned a cot and sleeping bag for the night, with each item numbered and documented on a paper spreadsheet. By 10 p.m., lights were required to be out and guests looked forward to breakfast being served the next morning before being transported back to the intake center.
The effort was part of a first-ever “Winter Sanctuary,” a seven-week program coordinated by the Citrus Heights Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART), a local nonprofit made up of various public and private organizations and volunteers. The group’s mission is to “provide resources that will enable at risk people and people experiencing homelessness in Citrus Heights and adjacent areas to become independent, self-sustaining and participating members of the community.”
There are three other HART’s in the region, with Elk Grove and Rancho Cordova HART’s serving as a model for Citrus Heights, and a newly formed Carmichael HART being launched in the past year.
The inaugural seven-week shelter was held from Dec. 26 through Feb. 11, 2017, with homeless guests taken to a total of five different area churches who each agreed to host the homeless on site for a week. Three of the churches were located in Citrus Heights — Holy Family Catholic Church, Celtic Cross Presbyterian Church, and Advent Lutheran Church — while two churches in Carmichael agreed to take on a total of three weeks, after hearing of an urgent need for more host churches.
Getting off the ground Although organizers view the first-ever winter shelter effort in the city as a success, the effort almost didn’t get off the ground.
Mark Holt, a deacon at Holy Family Catholic Church in Citrus Heights, helped spearhead the shelter program and said he “almost pulled the plug” on the program in November, when he only had two host churches lined up to cover three of the seven weeks.
Beginning last May, the deacon said he worked to contact local churches to line up facilities to host the seven-week program, but although contacting churches by mail, in person, phone, and email, the deacon said he was lucky if he even got a phone call back. Thanks to the help of neighboring churches on short notice, the program was still able to have host facilities each week, but Holt is hopeful to find more host churches in the city for next year’s shelter.
The rotating shelter also faced limitations when more homeless showed up than the shelter was able to handle. One volunteer expressed a “heartbreaking” moment, when he had to turn away a homeless man in the rain, due to the program only being able to help up to 20 homeless guests each night.
“We’re just barely hitting the tip,” said Deacon Holt in an interview, referencing the number of homeless the shelter helped contrasted with a Citrus Heights police surveythat identified a total of 192 individuals as homeless or associated with homelessness within the city.
The 2016 survey also found that 58 percent of those included in the survey self-identified as having a drug or alcohol addiction — a problem faced by the shelter, which turned away individuals who didn’t meet the requirement to be drug and alcohol-free.
“We’ve got some pretty strict rules,” said Holt. “Very simple respectful rules, but we’ve found people have some issues with that — and if you can’t follow the rules, then you’re on the streets.”
Finding housing
Although having an immediate goal to provide temporary shelter for those without homes in the winter, HART’s ultimate mission is to help the homeless find permanent housing. Getting the often-roving homeless population in one room proved to be a helpful tool towards that end.
The City of Citrus Heights partnered with HART in its housing endeavor, funding a “navigator” charged with the task of connecting homeless with public services. The navigator visited the shelter once a week, helping homeless get state ID’s and housing counseling.
Navigator Lauren Juskelis told The Sentinel 30 homeless guests received housing counseling, 11 were provided transportation through rides or a bus pass, and 10 shelter guests were given fee-waiver vouchers for applying for a state ID or drivers license.
Katherine Cooley, a HART leader and development specialist with the City of Citrus Heights, said five guests are also now in the process of getting housing through Volunteers of America’s “Rapid Re-housing” program. She also said several shelter volunteers worked on an individual basis to connect homeless with housing through local ministries, like The Way Ministries’ Grace House.
Asked whether homeless were also helped with finding employment, Cooley said the city-funded navigator was “not really” focused with providing employment services. She said the navigator was focused on getting homeless housed and connecting guests with social security, public assistance, and bus passes.
“While the city sent our homeless navigator to the shelter, the success of the shelter is due to HART,” said Cooley, referencing volunteer work and contributions of churches. “The city, we didn’t do it — they did it.”
In the end, organizers estimate over 900 volunteers assisted with the shelter, with about 400 volunteers coming from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, according to Deacon Holt.
The guests Over the 48-night shelter period, organizers said as many as 70 different homeless individuals participated in the program, ranging from age 18 to 70. Volunteers were encouraged to sit down during dinner and meet with homeless guests, talk to them, and find out their story.
Volunteers interviewed by The Sentinel repeatedly said their most memorable experience in helping at the shelter was sitting down with homeless guests and hearing their unique stories and backgrounds.
Volunteer Irene Hronicek highlighted the effort as a winter “sanctuary” rather than just a “shelter.” She noted the personal aspect of the effort was “more than just a roof over the head,” with volunteers sitting down to chat with homeless guests during evening meals.
“We became part of their community,” said volunteer Dick Bartlett, noting the level of personal involvement in the program. “They know our names, we know their names.”
Deacon Holt pointed out the youngest guest, age 18, who he said was likely kicked out of his parents house for alcohol or drug abuse. He was reportedly placed in Grace House for temporary housing and rehab.
Another guest was 60-years-old and chronically homeless for 30 years, with no plans to try to get off the streets.
Other homeless guests served at the shelter included a man and his mother, who attended the shelter every night — while others came only for a few nights. Holt said a volunteer ended up taking the man to an interview with a regional water district, and other guests were offered employment by at least one volunteer.
Shelter objections The shelter was not without its critics however. Holt said objections had been raised by some community members who were concerned the shelter would attract more homeless and crime to the area.
Asked whether police had observed an increase in homeless-related calls for service during the shelter period, Lt. Jason Russo told The Sentinel he was “not aware of any increase,” but said a study had not been conducted.
In January, the lieutenant said calls for service related to camps and loitering went down compared to December, but noted that rain could also have contributed to the difference observed.
In prior years, Mayor Jeff Slowey expressed skepticism about whether funding a navigator would be a worthwhile investment for the city, but after hearing the results of a pilot program in the prior fiscal year, he called the navigator “a phenomenal success.” He has also expressed opposition in the past to building a permanent shelter in Citrus Heights, commenting in several public meetings that “if you build it, they will come.”
Asked about the temporary shelter provided by HART, Slowey told The Sentinel in an email last week that he is not opposed to “sheltering the disadvantaged,” but is not in favor of a permanent shelter in Citrus Heights, as he said “there are many places that already offer that service today.”
Slowey said HART had done “an excellent job” with the shelter program and also praised faith-based communities who “stepped up and did what they do best – put others ahead of themselves.”
He said the city would be continuing its support for HART, but said he “will continue [to] tread very cautiously when spending taxpayer dollars on this topic and will make sure there are measurable results and outcomes.”
Reflections and future plans Looking to next year’s shelter, Deacon Holt said HART is hopeful to line up a total of nine local churches — a goal he believes will be possible through more advance notice and connections made during the first shelter period.
“It’s been a huge success from our perspective,” said Holt, reflecting on the group’s first shelter season. “It’s a band-aid, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
File photo, homeless individuals shown sleeping outside the former Linda’s Pizzeria on Greenback Lane, shortly after the business permanently closed. // CH Sentinel
Updated Feb. 8, 4:06 p.m.–
Seeking to address growing concerns about homelessness in Citrus Heights, city council members heard a pair of reports last week on recent outreach efforts to the area’s homeless population.
The reports were delivered during a Jan. 28 council meeting and focused on local efforts by the Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART), along with an update on efforts to connect the area’s homeless population with resources through a part-time “navigator.”
In a 20-minute report, HART Chairwoman Kathilynn Carpenter, who also serves as executive director of the Sunrise Marketplace business district, highlighted the local efforts of HART, as well as financial impacts of homelessness on local businesses, residents, and taxpayers.
She referenced results of a recent “business walk,” conducted by the City and Chamber of Commerce, which found the majority of 77 businesses contacted had listed homelessness as “an issue.” Carpenter said problems have included loitering, public urination, shoplifting, camping, restrooms being used as showers, and customers being driven away.
She also highlighted “public-sector” costs of homelessness on law enforcement, court costs, hospitalization, and other public services. Although police believe there are just a little over 50 homeless persons in Citrus Heights, Lt. Jason Russo previously told city leaders that the police department receives “quite a few” calls for service related to homelessness, documenting a total of 1,585 calls during a six-month period in 2015.
Homeless Assistance Resource Team efforts
Carpenter said HART was formed towards the end of 2014, with a mission to “craft and implement long-term solutions to a long-term problem” of homelessness, through public-private partnerships. The group has since applied for nonprofit status and holds regular meetings at noon on the fourth Thursday of each month, at Holy Family Catholic Church.
According to Carpenter, HART is currently planning a “Stand Down” event for homeless veterans on March 30, which will offer haircuts, counseling, and a variety of services “for one day, in one place.” Additionally, she said HART supports a food bank and is working with the local farmers market to set up a table for collecting food donations.
Carpenter also said her group reached out to two other HART groups in the region that operate winter homeless shelter programs, arranging for Rancho Cordova’s HART to provide shelter for Citrus Heights homeless during most of the winter. She said various churches alternate in providing shelter with Rancho Cordova’s program and said the Citrus Heights HART has a goal to have a similar program in place by 2017.
As part of the shelter arrangement, she said Holy Family church offered to provide temporary overnight shelter for Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights homeless from Jan. 17 to 24, with about 25 to 30 people participating. Ages ranged from seniors over 60-years-old, to a pregnant woman with a young child -- with participants receiving dinner, toiletries, first aid kits, clothing, and connection with services.
"We’re developing a winter shelter subcommittee so that we can have more churches next year and have our own Citrus Heights winter sanctuary," Carpenter told city council members. "We'll be doing a lot of church outreach so we can make that happen."
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Although largely supportive of HART's report, mention of a winter shelter in Citrus Heights did not sit well with at least one city councilman.
“I am not, and I'll say it again, I am not in favor of building a shelter," said Vice Mayor Jeff Slowey, believing that a shelter would only attract more homeless to the area. "If you build it, they will come, is my philosophy."
Carpenter clarified to the council that her group is not proposing to build a permanent shelter, but rather a rotating, seasonal shelter, facilitated by churches or other volunteer groups.
She also shared her own "paradigm shift" about being a person who was "always calling police" on the homeless, to becoming a person who focused more on long-term solutions.
"I had to have the paradigm shift that that doesn't work; it's very temporary," Carpenter told the council. She now believes connecting homeless individuals with available services and resources, in addition to enforcement of existing laws, is “the most cost-effective model” to addressing homelessness.
Obstacles faced
The Citrus Heights HART leader also said the "biggest obstacle" her group has faced is the lack of social services in communities outside Sacramento's "urban core." She said a "mind-numbing bureaucracy" has made it "nearly impossible" to efficiently connect homeless with services available in downtown Sacramento, especially with limited funding and time.
Other obstacles brought up during the meeting included the cost of rent, lack of a phone or transportation to get to a job or appointments, mental illness, and criminal history causing rental applications to be denied.
Carpenter also said the majority of homeless in Citrus Heights won't ever leave the area "because they are connected to the city," either by having a family member in the area or having grown up here.
She requested the city council's help in advocating for "satellite services" in Citrus Heights and other communities like Fair Oaks and Orangevale, which she said are "all experiencing the same issues we are."
Homeless navigator's report
Following Carpenter's report, council members heard a report from navigator Fatima Martinez, who works with HART to help connect homeless individuals with available resources -- with an end goal of helping homeless access permanent housing.
The one-year navigator pilot program is funded by a $10,000 grant from the City, which pays for a navigator from Sacramento Self-Help Housing to be on the job six hours a week in Citrus Heights. The program has been in operation for about six months.
Martinez reported engaging 19 homeless individuals, five of whom declined an opportunity to participate in services like general assistance, bus passes, free government cell phones, motel vouchers and transportation.
Of the 14 homeless individuals who agreed to participate, Martinez said four were connected with Rancho Cordova’s winter sanctuary, two were permanently housed, and three were temporarily housed. She also said several received bus passes and hotel vouchers, and one received a free government cell phone.
Council members respond
Commenting on Martinez's report, Vice Mayor Slowey called her work a "phenomenal success," adding that he had initially been skeptical the $10,000 grant would create any results.
"Clearly we ought to get you more money some way, some how," said Slowey, suggesting his fellow council members and city staff work "to find a way to make that $10,000 closer to 50."
Several other council members also expressed support for the work of HART, along with a few questions about specific aspects of the navigator's work. Mayor Jeannie Bruins also commented positively about a homeless assistance group called The Gathering Inn, based in Roseville, which operates a year-round shelter.
Looking ahead, the City's Community and Economic Development Specialist Katherine Cooley, who works closely with HART, said the navigator pilot program plans to continue with current funding for the next six months. She said additional data would be collected and made available at the conclusion of the pilot program.
Note: this is the first article in a series on community issues. Follow future stories about homelessness and other local issues by signing up for The Sentinel’s free Weekend Edition.Save
Citrus Heights police respond to a shooting at an apartment complex next to Kmart on Auburn Boulevard, Jan. 29. // CH Sentinel
Local news briefs this week include local homeless outreach efforts, a Friday night shooting, local medical marijuana regulation, and an update on the cause of a Citrus Heights garage fire.
Friday night shooting in Citrus Heights injures one; police investigating Citrus Heights police detectives are investigating a Jan. 29 shooting at an apartment complex next to the Auburn Boulevard Kmart, which sent one man to the hospital. In a news release issued Saturday morning, police said officers responded to a 911 call around 8:15 p.m. on Friday and found a man in his mid-twenties with an “upper body” gunshot wound, on the 7300 block of Auburn Oaks Court. The man was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery, and is currently in stable condition and expected to survive.
Police said detectives are currently investigating the incident and request anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department at (916) 727-5500, or via an anonymous crime tips hotline at (916) 727-5524. The news release did not indicate any arrests have been made, but police said “there is no specific risk to the members of the community, as this incident appears to be isolated.”
Metro Fire: space heater caused Citrus Heights garage blaze An early morning fire which torched a garage and vehicle last week was caused by a space heater, Metro Fire Captain Michelle Eidam told The Sentinel on Friday. The fire occurred around 2 a.m. on Jan. 21, inside a garage attached to a Twin Brook Court home, near Van Maren Lane. A next-door neighbor said she awoke to flames and “swarms” of firefighters who used saws to cut open the garage in order to gain access.
Metro Fire also determined a space heater to be the cause of a house fire earlier this month in Antelope, according to a Fox40 news report. Fire officials recommend keeping space heaters at least three feet away from flammable objects, and to always use properly rated extension cords.
City council hears update on local homeless outreach At a Thursday-night council meeting, City leaders heard a 20-minute report from the head of the Citrus Heights Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART), a group formed in late-2014 to “craft and implement long-term solutions to a long-term problem” of homelessness, through public-private partnerships.
HART Chairwoman Kathilynn Carpenter said she believes connecting homeless individuals with available services and resources, in addition to enforcement of existing laws, is "the most cost-effective model" to addressing homelessness. Carpenter, who also serves as executive director of Sunrise Marketplace, said her group has several events planned this year and seeks to launch a winter shelter in Citrus Heights by 2017, primarily through working with churches and other volunteer groups.
Councilmembers also heard an update from "navigator" Fatima Martinez, who works with HART to help connect homeless individuals with available resources. The one-year navigator pilot program was funded by a $10,000 grant through the City, and has currently been in operation for six months. Martinez reported engaging 19 homeless individuals, 14 of whom agreed to participate in services like general assistance, bus passes, free government cell phones, motel vouchers and transportation. She said out of the 14 participants, four were connected with Rancho Cordova's winter sanctuary, two were permanently housed, and three are temporarily housed. (Full story coming next week with additional details and councilmember responses.)
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Public hearing held on medical marijuana code amendment
A public hearing on a medical marijuana code amendment was short and uneventful Thursday night, with no members of the public speaking in favor or against the proposed change during the hearing. According to City staff, the amendment made no changes to current marijuana cultivation regulations in the city, but protects local control by adding references to existing regulations into the zoning code's "land use" tables. City officials said motivation behind the amendment was a deadline set by Assembly Bill 243, which requires cities to have medical marijuana land use regulations in place by March 1, 2016, in order to retain local licensing authority over marijuana cultivation -- otherwise licensing power would reside at the state level only. Councilmembers passed the amendment unanimously.
See what else happened over the past week: Citrus Heights This Week: what’s happening in town (Jan.24-30)
[Related update on Fox40: Brother of Man Shot In Face During Robbery Speaks Out]
