How You Can Help
South County organizations need food,
supplies, volunteers and donations to
sustain programs for transitional hous-
ing, health and mental health treatment,
substance abuse treatment, employment
assistance, emergency rent and utility
assistance, and more.
Community Solutions
communitysolutions.org
408.779.2113
Destination:Home
destinationhomesv.org
408.513.8700
Gilroy Compasion Center, Project Connect
Edward Boss Prado Foundation
edwardbossprado.org
408.778.7411
Gilroy Compassion Center
gilroycompassioncenter.blogspot.com
408.763.7120
Loaves & Fishes
loavesfi shes.org
Army Veteran Finds Way Home
One Step Closer
osctr.org
778.3567
Rebekah Children’s Services
rcskids.org
408.846.2100
Santa Clara County
Offi ce of Supportive Housing
sccgov.org
St. Joseph’s Family Center
stjosephsgilroy.org
408.842.6662
Plan to End Homelessness:
destinationhomesv.org/the-
2015-2020-community-plan-to-end-
homelessness
BBQ Dinner & Barn Dance
Gilroy Compassion Center Fundraiser
August 25 th • 6:30-10:30pm
3465 Susie Lane • Gilroy
BBQ dinner, silent auction, raffl e, en-
tertainment, and barn dance. Proceeds
benefi t programs serving the Gilroy
homeless. Tickets: compassionfunnight.
eventbrite.com
34
to interacting, trusting, and enjoying
themselves.”
“They want to be of service to other
vets and the community,” Lesnik added.
“Many continue as volunteers for OSC
after their VA program is complete. It
comes full circle.”
Julie enlisted in the Army at age 21. Four
years later she was medically discharged
for PTSD. She moved to the western U.S.
to attend college. During those years,
she was in and out of the hospital for
symptoms related to her untreated PTSD.
She also experienced homelessness and
food insecurity.
“I had tuition payments but wasn’t
getting GI benefits yet,” she said. “I
couldn’t find a job or housing. Next
thing I knew I was living in my car and
eating out of dumpsters.”
When her GI Bill benefits kicked
in a few months later, Julie went back
to school, earned a Master’s Degree in
Social Work, and began receiving proper
treatment for her PTSD. She moved to
California and began to work for the VA.
“Getting people housed is one thing
but if you don’t have a job and don’t
know how to maintain a house, what
caused your homeless ness is still a
problem,” Julie explained. “You really
need the wraparound services. Like any-
one else, veterans don’t fit in a box. We
need to meet them where they are. And
they need to be living where they have
support services.”
“Today, I think about my housing
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
constantly. Homelessness is not some-
thing I want to go through again.”
Guiding the Homeless Effort
Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee served
30 years on the force, retired in 2015,
and was rehired in 2017 with the home-
lessness crisis looming large.
“The homeless are sometimes charged
with ‘quality of life’ crimes after creating
a disturbance in the community,”
Smithee said. “Their court appearances
are scheduled on the same day of the
week that service providers are onsite to
offer help. Those who accept help often
get their charges dismissed.”
Since returning to office, Chief
Smithee has drafted a Homeless Plan
for Gilroy in partnership with the City
of Gilroy, Gilroy Compassion Center,
St. Joseph’s Family Center, Santa Clara
County’s Office of Supportive Housing
and Behavioral Health Departments,
and other organizations. At the time
of this writing, the plan was nearing
presentation to the Gilroy City Council.
Smithee said the goal is to get
additional resources in the form of
Homeless Response Advocates equipped
to assess the needs of the homeless and
provide rapid referrals to services—every-
thing from access to public restrooms
to addressing undiagnosed or untreated
mental health disorders to job finding.
“There’s the need for a continuum of
care for homeless individuals rather than
making homelessness a law enforcement
problem that we’re responding to with a
criminal justice solution.”
gmhtoday.com