How Sacramento County's HEART team connects homeless to needed resources
SACRAMENTO – As homelessness continues to be an issue in the Sacramento area, one county team is trying to get those on the streets the resources they need.
These days, Sacramento County's Homeless Engagement And Response Team (HEART) has been working overtime.
"In the last two years from August of 2022, through July of 2024, our teams have engaged over 4,000 people and have provided over 50,000 services," said Cait Paulson, with the HEART team.
HEART spends its days reaching out to the most vulnerable.
"Build rapport, we will return to those locations, because we know that sometimes it takes days, weeks, months, for someone to feel comfortable enough to say yes,'" Paulson said.
Yes to mental health and substance abuse resources, something many on the streets deal with. They also connect them with health services, food, medical help, and housing and shelter resources.
"It's definitely a humbling opportunity to do this work," said Justin Hernandez, one of the team's mental health counselors. "We can do a referral to a provider but we also want to help empower the client to make sure they have the safety to access those resources."
Sometimes people don't want help, but when they do the HEART team is ready to go.
"We try and strike while the iron's hot. If someone says yes, that's why we have a clinician and a peer in tandem," Paulson said. "So the person can feel comfortable with getting support and somebody who's been through the process."
The goal is to be consistent, letting people know if they don't want help today, tomorrow is a whole new opportunity.
"We are present for them, being present and being that constant for them is what's going to continue to give the ray of hope," said Gabriel Gutierrez, with the HEART team.
For more information on HEART and the resources they offer, click here.