Angela Pustorino

As COTS’ CEO, each month I take a moment to consider what I want our community to know about our organization and our progress in serving Sonoma County’s homeless. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you in this Virtual Cup of Coffee – my monthly communique about the business and mission moments of COTS (Committee On The Shelterless). In this issue, I focused entirely on why people prefer to live outside instead of getting a bed in a shelter. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback.

Please stay safe,
Chuck

A Bed versus a Tent?

As the weather turns cold and rainy, and we hear about sweeps of homeless encampments, a frequent question we get is, “why don’t people come into a shelter instead of sleeping on the streets?”  The answers are many and complicated.

• • Fear and paranoia – Many suffer from mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, PTSD, depression, or anxiety. One consequence is paranoia and fear of large groups, as in a shelter setting with 100 other people. That can set off major panic attacks and fear.
  • A fear of the unknown in a shelter – We are creatures of habit. Living on the streets is a known risk – you have some level of control of your day and become “comfortable in uncomfortable situations.” The streets become home and you adapt to the cold or the heat. Conversely, in a shelter, you don’t know what to expect and that fear of the unknown and not having control may be worse than being on the streets.
  • Another failed system or institution – Some homeless grew up in “the system” – foster care, residential treatment, jail or prisons, half-way houses. Problems they had with the system can be reinforced and triggering once in another institution (shelter), especially with the rules and structure that come with keeping a shelter safe and orderly. Likely, no one cared for or wanted them while in “the system,” therefore they feel that no one will care for them or want them while in a shelter.
  • History of abuse and violence – Many homeless women are victims of physical abuse or sexual violence. It’s little surprise that women do not feel comfortable in a co-ed shelter with male staff.
  • Drugs and alcohol – Sadly, drugs and alcohol are prevalent in shelters no matter how much you guard against it. For those wanting to get clean, life in a shelter can be tempting. I’ve seen people come back from treatment looking and feeling great. Days or weeks later in a shelter environment, they are back on drugs or alcohol.
  • Not leaving their pets – Dogs provide protection, especially for single women on the streets. Most shelters do not accept pets. Dogs are their best friend, their family, their protector, and so many will sleep outside instead of giving up their pets.
  • Crowded conditions – Typical shelters can have 50, 100, or more beds in one large room. With so many people, there are fears of violence and for their own safety, the spread of disease especially during cold and flu season, certainly the lack of privacy, theft of personal items, and again the prevalence of drugs. All of this leads many to prefer the safety of the streets, even if its cold, wet, or hot.
  • Feeling closed in – War veterans have commented that the war experiences made them feel unsafe when closed in, so they prefer to live outside.
  • So many other reasons – Some have insomnia and don’t like curfew or may want to read late into the night; some don’t want to separate from their husband or wife, as can happen in a shelter where men sleep in separate areas from women; some don’t want to be limited by the “two bags rule” that shelters impose simply because shelters don’t have space to store all of a person’s personal items; some just don’t want to abide by all of the rules of a shelter; and some just prefer the dignity of a tent and being outside with friends than in a warehouse setting with beds, rules, and strangers. They simply want control of their lives and to make their own choices. They prefer to make their own shelter and be autonomous.

Living outside causes significant harm to the environment and is a public health crisis due to the large amounts of trash generated, polluted streams and waterways, fires causes by trying to stay warm or cook meals, unhealthy living, and untreated diseases and illnesses. The 2019 Point in Time Count showed that of the 2,951 total homeless in Sonoma County, 1,957 or 66% of the total counted were unsheltered and living in vehicles, on the street, in tents, or abandoned buildings.

So what can we do to solve this? For starters, we can consider three possible solutions:

1. 1. Redesign shelters or shelter campuses to have separate living areas (rooms or buildings) for couples, people with animals, those trying to stay clean and sober, women, those that need specialty mental health services, and even an open-style shelter area for Vets. This scattered site approach could each accommodate up to 25 people or fewer so that people feel safe, dignified, can create a new family or friends, and feel like they have some control over their lives. Each area can offer specialized case management, counseling, and services that respect some of their challenges of trauma and adversity in their lives. One sized shelter for all no longer works, and we have to be respectful of each person’s needs and challenges.
   2. More comprehensive street outreach services – If 66% of the total homeless count are people living outside, then our funding for Street Outreach services must reflect this. This includes funding for law enforcement working together with homeless and other service providers. Part of the Street Outreach Team must include mental health providers and medical providers such as nurses and doctors. Creating relationships and building trust and credibility is one sure way to help those on the streets move into shelter and eventually housing.
   3. Create an Interagency Street Outreach Network that meets and communicates with each other to coordinate the outreach and care for those on the streets. Some may not want to go into a specific shelter but may agree on another shelter if it can be coordinated. This would be part of a public health approach for the unsheltered.

More homelessness is one consequence of COVID. Doing something different makes urgent sense. It is also good public health.

Until next month,

Chuck Fernandez

As COTS’ CEO, each month I take a moment to consider what I want our community to know about our organization and our progress in serving Sonoma County’s homeless. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you in this Virtual Cup of Coffee – my monthly communique about the business and mission moments of COTS (Committee On The Shelterless). In the Business portion, I will share the nuts and bolts of what we do to serve the homeless – our successes and our challenges. In the Mission Moment, I will share stories about our clients and our wonderful staff who make it all happen. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback.

Please stay safe,
Chuck

The Urgent Need for More Mental Health Services

For those that exercise or pride themselves on their health, the emphasis is typically physical – running, walking, low cholesterol and blood pressure, and the absence of disease. When talking about health and fitness, we usually don’t talk about mental health, which can be just as debilitating or more than a serious physical ailment. Many of us have family, friends, or know of someone that suffers from mental illness. It could be Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Dual Diagnosis, Depression, Anxiety Disorder, PTSD, or more.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) posts some staggering statistics on mental illness:

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness.
• 17% of youth (age 6-17) experience a mental health disorder.
• American adults living with mental illness die an average of 25 years sooner than others, largely due to a treatable condition.
• 37% of students suffering from mental illness drop out of high school.
• More than 90% of children who die from suicide suffer from a mental health condition.
• Serious mental illness costs the U.S. about $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
• People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic disease than the general population.

When I look at mental illness and the population that COTS serves – those experiencing homelessness – the numbers are also staggering:

• 35% suffer from psychiatric/emotional conditions.
• 75% have experienced some form of trauma.
• 38% suffer from drug/alcohol abuse.
• 34% have a history of domestic violence

We know that people with mental illness are at greater risk of homelessness. We also know that the stress of being homeless intensifies mental illness and can exacerbate anxiety, fear, depression, drug use, and more.

Now, as if the fires, national political turmoil, and recession are not enough, we have COVID-19 and its consequences on our mental health. Working from home, job loss, social isolation, grief for the loss of a loved one all add to fear and uncertainty. And even when we get a vaccine, that fear, anxiety, depression will not go away. In fact, decades of underinvestment in mental health and healthcare in general, especially for the poor, were exposed by the consequences of COVID.

This is not doom and gloom. This is our reality and we need more financial investments in our social support services if we are to address growing mental illness in our community.

This Virtual Coffee is dedicated to mental health and what we can do to begin to invest in our community. In this election season, Measure O is on the ballot to ask for tax dollars to invest in more mental health services. I am not here to tell you how to vote. That is not my job. I am here to share what we see every day at COTS with our residents at our adult and family shelter, those we help on the streets, in their cars and RVs, and in encampments who suffer from severe mental health illness – children, adults, veterans, seniors – all experiencing homelessness. We need more financial investments to address mental health.

The monies from Measure O will go toward emergency psychiatric care; mobile support teams that accompany law enforcement on crises intervention calls (we use this at COTS); mental health services at children’s shelters; residential treatment facilities; suicide prevention; mental health services for children, veterans, and seniors; expansion of substance use disorder services; behavioral health services for individuals who are homeless; and so much more. The residents in our shelters and on the streets will benefit greatly from these investments.

As a concerned citizen wanting assurance that these monies will be spent as intended, there will be an Independent Citizens Oversight Committee to provide transparency and fiscal accountability. That works for me and Measure O works for me. In the interest of those experiencing homelessness, I support Measure O.

Until next month,

Chuck Fernandez

As COTS’ CEO, each month I take a moment to consider what I want our community to know about our organization and our progress in serving Sonoma County’s homeless. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you in this Virtual Cup of Coffee – my monthly communique about the business and mission moments of COTS (Committee On The Shelterless). In the Business portion, I will share the nuts and bolts of what we do to serve the homeless – our successes and our challenges. In the Mission Moment, I will share stories about our clients and our wonderful staff who make it all happen. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback.

Please stay safe,
Chuck

The Ability to “LeaderShift”

This has been a nonstop challenging year. The pandemic and all of its devastating consequences on a personal, economic, and social level. The credible and courageous protests around systemic racism. National politics and an election year filled with anxiety and anticipation. And now, the fires. As a business, how does COTS survive and thrive through all this change and uncertainty?

In his book, Leadershift – the 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace, John Maxwell says, “leaders today need to move faster, stay ahead, be able to see more than others, and able to see before others see. The more nimble, adaptable, and flexible we are, the more quickly we can move and change.” He says “adaptability does not mean conformity. Conformity means being average and refusing to stand out or capitalize on one’s uniqueness. Adaptability is being able to sense the shift in the wind direction and adjust to take advantage of that wind.” He also says, “leaders need to be comfortable with uncertainty and make shifts continually…and deal with uncertainty without losing focus. They must also allow for creativity, they must plan, and they must look for options and opportunities.”

The need to Leadershift is happening at COTS. We are updating our Strategic Plan (SP). It was created in 2018. And yes, only two years later, it already feels outdated. We have new staff, a better understanding of Housing First, more professionalism, more freedom to create and bring our best and passionate selves to work, and a profound belief that we will make a difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness. We also want to make sure our updated SP reflects our desire to be a more diverse organization and that our culture, behavior, how we make decisions, and our goals reflect our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement. Change of course always start with us first – how we individually think, behave, and treat Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion differently.

At COTS, we are also accepting reality, sometimes the harsh reality, during these complex times – no sugarcoating, especially when we communicate with our staff. In social services, because we can be more heart than head, we want to protect staff or the agency from dangers or uncomfortable realities. We need to bring reality into the conversation sooner than later and be upfront with the difficult part of our journey that we plan to take others on. If we don’t, we just set everyone up for failure and disappointment.

We also have to rely on our solid foundational values of integrity, respect, and accountability to ourselves, each other, and to those experiencing homelessness as we continue to change and evolve. I would add character and moral authority – how we live our lives and treat the sheltered and unsheltered – with authenticity, humility, and love. There is no compromise here regardless of how difficult the change.

And one more thing – besides looking for options and opportunities during these uncertain times, we as leaders should always be preparing for opportunities – strengthening our programs to better serve those experiencing homelessness, ensure positive impact in the community and social return on investment for our funders, and build strong administrative functions that support our programs and services. As the legendary basketball coach John Wooden said, “when opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” COTS is preparing.

A Passionate Calling

Some of us have a job…a good job. It pays the bills and supports our family. We do the work well when we are there. When the workday is done so are we until the next day. We likely don’t take work home with us. Some of us have a career. It’s something we choose, excel at, love, and it can be measured by success such as money, a nice house, more freedom with our schedule, a nice car.

Then there are those that have a calling. A calling is about helping others – in non-profits, fire or law enforcement, law or medicine, public service, the hospitality and food service industry, and so much more. It is something that you have chosen or maybe has chosen you, that never leaves you even when the day is done…you take it home with you, is something you feel you must do, and is your purpose and why you exist. Your calling gives you energy, purpose, meaning, hope, and optimism. It inspires creativity and attracts others with positivity.

I see this calling every day at COTS. I know I often use the Mission Moment sections of my Virtual Coffee on our exceptional staff at COTS. But if you see what I see every day, you would too. Every Saturday, one of our shelter staff makes a big breakfast for our shelter residents – what you would make for your family when you have time on the weekends – omelets, pancakes, waffles, breads, fresh fruit, coffee, cereal. It’s John’s way to celebrate each person at our shelter. It’s important for our residents to have some sense of normalcy.

I see our case managers Julia and Christina teaching residents about sobriety and are so excited when residents show up, are engaged, and make progress. Of course, residents are enticed with ice cream and root beer floats when they arrive. Staff celebrate when a resident gets housed and then they help them set up their apartments – with linen, dishes, food, and whatever furniture we have. Shelter staff make sure residents take their medications, get the rest and medical care they so often need – and with all the love, attention, and care as if that resident was their own family member.

Of course, because our residents suffer from trauma, mental, physical, and emotional challenges, providing this love and care is often not easy. Residents’ behavior can be erratic, disappointing, threatening – they shout, swear, refuse to follow rules or their case management plans, or do not show up for meetings on time or at all. This is just part of what we do and what we expect. Likely, many of us know this having dealt with it on a personal level with a family member or friend. Giving up is not an option for our staff. It’s not who they are. A resident may feel hopeless and give up on themselves, but the staff won’t give up on them. Often, staff are the only hope for our residents. For some of our staff, they know the struggle, pain, and confusion because they have been in our resident’s shoes before. Thus, their commitment, dedication… their calling.

Philosopher Howard Thurman said, “don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” I see our staff at COTS come alive everyday.

Until next month,

Chuck Fernandez