Today we speak with Shasta County eligibility worker Terri Saulmon. She works with the HOPE Van team, and is also affiliated with Project Homeless Connect. She and I met one Thursday at Living Hope Compassion Ministries where Saulmon worked to connect clients with various social services.
Q: Thank you, Terri, for taking the time to talk with us. First, can please tell us how long you’ve had this position, and what exactly is it that you’re responsible for?
I am a case manager with the Health and Human Services Agency and I started providing eligibility services at the Hope Van sites in October 2006.
Q: So how many days a week are you in the “field” – and where, exactly, is the field?
Mondays we’re at Caldwell Park. Wednesdays we’re at Empire Recovery Center. Thursdays we’re at Living Hope. Fridays we’re on Breslauer Way (except the first Friday of the month, when we’re at the Mission).
Q: I heard you tell one of your clients Thursday that the face of homelessness has changed. Can you expound upon that?
We are seeing more and more people who have never accessed benefits (CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CMSP, cash assistance) before. Also, the ages are becoming younger.
Q: Let’s say that someone is newly homeless and they land in front of you. Where do you begin?
Accessing benefits. That’s the priority for them. During the application process, I find out their history and ability. This guides me in which direction we’re going to go. Is there a drug problem, mental health, domestic violence or history of abuse? As they work with me in getting benefits in place, they learn to trust me.
Q: Many people – the day I was shadowing – asked you and other Health and Human Services employees about sleeping bags and tents, to which you replied that you no longer had any to give out. You expressed some frustration in our conversation that the RPD throws away the tents and sleeping bags when they clean up encampments.
You also mentioned that there might be a way to enact some kind of a policy where the organizations that gave out these items, such as POP or your department, basically just loaned them, so if they were abandoned at a camp, the items could be given to someone else, thus taking care of the liability issue of giving someone something that belonged to someone else. So, assuming that was in place, and if the police were open to it, do you think there would be people from Health and Human Services who’d accompany the officers on the camp clean-ups, to collect the tents, blankets, sleeping bags and anything else you deemed salvageable?
We haven’t talked about this yet. A lot of what I do is off time. I’m thinking that, possibly, the Hope Van may think about signing on in this capacity. It really is in the early discussion stage. We are continuing to look into liability issues.
Q: What’s your reaction to people who say that it’s illegal for the homeless to live on public and private property?
It is illegal. Yet, we have homeless. We can say it’s illegal all we want. They’re here, they are going to be somewhere. I’m not sure what the solution is. Other communities have tried a number of things. Most of them are expensive and many of them don’t work in the long term.
Q: I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the larger illegal camp sites, but some, like the one off Lake Boulevard and Masonic, look more like landfills. Some of these are well-established by people who’ve been there for a long time. What’s your reaction to that?
Most of Masonic campers are paroled to Shasta County. They have to be here. I think the county and city would do well to assist them by supplying bags for garbage and sanitation and also by picking the bags up at a designated time on a weekly basis. Many just don’t have the means to take care of their waste and garbage. Not a solution, but certainly a start.
Q: Where are all the service agencies located that a homeless person might need to visit?
Health and Human Services has regional offices downtown, on Breslauer Way in south Redding, in Enterprise, in Anderson and in Shasta Lake. People applying for General Assistance have to go to the Breslauer office on Monday, Wednesday or Friday. The doors open at 7:30 am.
Q: What are some of the greatest challenges you face in your job?
No money. We give out tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, etc… and the very next week, it will be gone. We don’t have enough money to keep handing them out and yet, they are now without shelter or warmth. I speak to people on mornings where they were in the elements without anything the entire night before. It makes me so incredibly sad.
Q: Are there different categories of homeless, to your way of thinking?
I see families occasionally. Usually, the people that I work with have a combination of issues. Mental illness and substance abuse often go hand in hand. Some of these people are veterans. I’m not an expert on demographics.
Q: Can you share with readers the story you told me about the woman and man living in their RV?
I was called to reception one day to see if I could assist a couple in the lobby. When I went out to see them, what I saw was amazing. A woman (“Mary”) in a wheelchair was struggling to help her friend “Joe” who was also in a wheelchair. Joe had applied for SSI while he was in the hospital in another city, and when they returned to Redding, they came here looking for help because they had begun receiving paperwork from SSA and needed assistance determining what it said, because they are both illiterate.
I sat down with them and sorted out their paperwork. I found the SSA analyst’s name and phone number. When I called him to explain the seriousness of Joe’s condition, the analyst agreed to grant the SSI immediately. This was tremendous news to them because, with the granting of SSI, they became eligible for Medi-Cal automatically. Joe was now able to get his medications. To this day, they still bring all of their paperwork to me for assistance.
Q: Your work affects your clients’ lives. How has your job personally affected your life?
I am fully aware of how blessed I am to be given the tools to help so many people in need.
Q: What do you personally think are the biggest contributors to homelessness?
Mental illness and substance abuse.
Q: If you could solve the problem, and money were no object, what do you think the solutions would be?
It would be great if we could implement model programs in our community for the homeless to access temporary housing (2-year time limit). During this time, the clients aren’t transient. The SSI advocates and doctors would be better able to get them to be compliant. Once they’re granted SSI, they can move into their own housing (not all homeless are applying for SSI). Maybe a tent city of some sort would work in some situations.
Q: What else would you like readers to know?
Public awareness and education is crucial.
Click here for more in the Unsheltered series.
Independent online journalist Doni Chamberlain founded what’s now known as anewscafe.com in 2007 with her son, Joe Domke of the Czech Republic. Prior to 2007 Chamberlain was an award-winning newspaper opinion columnist, feature and food writer recognized by the Associated Press, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and E.W. Scripps. She lives in Redding, CA.