Watch a video about this program here.

“Community Safety, Partners in Service” is the motto of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department, and this fall I was able to witness first-hand how a small group of deputies lives this motto and mission every day.

The Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) is a mobile field force dedicated to working directly with homeless residents of El Dorado County to determine individualized service offerings to provide a lasting solution to end the cycle of homelessness. HOT Team members build relationships with unsheltered community members and facilitate family reunifications, treatment for substance-use disorder and transitions to permanent shelter. This service-oriented approach has proven successful for El Dorado County, where the HOT team has achieved a success rate of more than an 80 percent.

I met the members of the HOT team during a monthly “Trailer Day” where the team brings a customized trailer that converts into a mobile office for the county Behavioral Health and Mental Health Services units. County staff are able to meet with community members and provide onsite services “in the field.”