Hidden help: San diego’s C.a.r.e events
San Diego has the 6th largest homeless population in the country, but also has a dedicated team that is actively working to end this crisis. Their latest initiative aims to bring together the best resources for those experiencing homelessness, all in one convenient location. Over this past week, I have gotten the privilege to volunteer at San Diego’s monthly one-stop-shop C.A.R.E events and document just how many services are being offered, along with their eligibility requirements for future clients. Come explore the wide variety of resources offered at these incredible events!
So what is the San Diego C.A.R.E event, and what does it offer? In short the event is a time in which multiple organizations, private and city run alike, come together at one location to offer those experiencing homelessness all the essential resources they could need. This includes medical and dental treatment, debt reduction programs, veteran services, field outreach, and even attorneys to name a few (there are over 30 individual organizations that participate). By offering such services in one accessible location, the San Diego C.A.R.E events could make services that had previously taken months to fulfill only a couple of hours by offering them all at the same time.
The Live Well San Diego Mobile Office offered free medical examinations to clients
These care events also offer onsite food and beverages, (which I am proud so say that I have manned with the help of my mom), along with mental health services and services for youth aged 18-24, otherwise known as transitional youth. By design the event is an open “no questions asked” service that doesn’t judge its clients in any way shape or form. Even the onsite police had an extremely low profile to ensure that the clients felt comfortable with getting the services they needed. On top of that, all of the 20+ people I talked too were extremely friendly, and put in every bit of effort to help me learn about this wonderful event.
The event is run by the City of San Diego, but private organizations like People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), Alpha project, Serving Seniors, Veterans Associations, Live Well San Diego, and La Maestra were all there each offering their own essential service to their clients. Below are a few photos of some tables that I have captured. Take note the friendly colors and abundance of flyers that all aim to make these services as accessible as possible.
From my quick 6 hours at the event, I got to witness firsthand multiple people experiencing homelessness connect with these case managers and recourses, while at the same time getting medical or dental treatment that they might not be able to afford on their own.
My big ambition from the event was to discover and introduce myself to as many organizations as possible, as well as learn of their missions, locations, and eligibility requirements. Using this data, I now plan to add this to San Diego Crossroads, a digital database full of a ton of resources catered to the homeless all in a super accessible website to ensure that those experiencing homelessness get the help they need.
To conclude, its the dedication to ending this crisis that so many volunteers put in that makes events like the San Diego C.A.R.E event so impactful on the community. I will forever envy their dedication, and I hope that readers can gain inspiration to take part in something as impactful as an event like this.