Could a checkbox at Maricopa County jails avert hundreds of arrests?
Ramon Gonzalez poses in his apartment on Aug. 2, 2017 at the Coconut Grove Apartments in Phoenix.(Photo: Loren Townsley/The Republic)
A tiny change in paperwork and a big shift in mindset at Maricopa County's jails could help dozens of homeless people get off the street, eliminate hundreds of arrests and save taxpayers money.
Last month, homeless inmates began meeting with caseworkers in jail to connect them to apartments, medical care and jobs immediately upon release in an effort to keep them from coming back.
The jail system has never before partnered so closely with public-housing, health-care and human-services agencies to address homelessness and prevent recidivism, agency partners say.
"We knew we had to start looking more deeply at this relatively small number of people who are homeless and somehow not getting access to services," said Margaret Kilman, Homelessness Projects program manager for the Maricopa County Human Services Department. "Connecting these folks with the necessary housing and services does two things: It reduces the cost on our emergency systems and first responders and jails. It also gets these people off the streets, so there's a quality-of-life component for these communities."
An 'unmistakable' connection
Ramon Gonzalez poses in his apartment on Aug. 2, 2017" width="540" height="405" />Ramon Gonzalez poses in his apartment on Aug. 2, 2017 at the Coconut Grove Apartments in Phoenix. (Photo: Loren Townsley/The Republic)
The "Hand in Hand" initiative grew out of an experiment with jail intake forms. Curious Correctional Health staffers added a checkbox asking inmates whether they had gone without housing at any point in the last year.
Officials were shocked by the result: One in four inmates said yes. The rate was even higher for people with mental illness.
"I was blown away," said Dr. Dawn Noggle, mental-health services director for the county's Correctional Health Services Department. "I knew that it was high, but ... now we're able to quantify the connection between incarceration, serious mental illness and homelessness. It's unmistakable."
Diving deeper into the data, staffers discovered nearly every chronic repeat offender had been homeless.
Those 59 people, who were arrested more than 1,000 times over two years,were costing taxpayers a lot. Some had racked up booking and jail-housing expenses of $30,000 or more each, even though most charges were misdemeanors such as drinking in public, littering, shoplifting or failing to show up for court.
The homeless repeat offenders' faces were familiar to health staffers, who sometimes would see them leave and return in the same day, Noggle said. "This never-ending revolving door was just tragic."
'Housing is health care'
And while Correctional Health isn't responsible for tackling homelessness, Noggle said it was clear the department needed to reach out to other agencies to ensure their patients' well-being.
"Housing is health care," she said. "If you can get people housed, they don't get arrested. ... They're not committing survival crimes. It's not rocket science. It's just getting systems to collaborate and take on a population that has been seen as pretty dispensable."
To make the program work, the Maricopa County Housing Authority has agreed to earmark apartments, and the county Human Services Department has dedicated about $350,000 in federal funding to the program.
Two non-profits, Community Bridges Inc. and Native American Connections, will pair homeless inmates with caseworkers who can identify their needs before they get out. After release, the inmates will receive a year of assistance with job placement, conflict resolution and other life skills.
The first candidates for housing will be chosen from a seven-week jailhouse substance-abuse program called Mosaic that teaches emotional coping and employment skills, and has received national recognition, Noggle said. Eventually, she hopes to expand the housing program to all homeless inmates.
The goal is to give people the foundation to stay on track, said Community Bridges caseworker Amy Massey.
A success story
Ramon Gonzalez poses in his apartment on Aug. 2, 2017" width="540" height="405" />Ramon Gonzalez poses in his apartment on Aug. 2, 2017 at the Coconut Grove Apartments in Phoenix. (Photo: Loren Townsley/The Republic)
Ramon Gonzalez, 52, who lived in a homeless shelter for a year after losing his forklift-driving job, is the kind of success story the non-profit hopes to replicate with inmates.
"Ramon has changed a lot," Massey said, noting he did not spend time in jail but received the kind of assistance that will be offered to inmates. "The goal once they enter the program is to help get them stabilized."
With Community Bridges' help, Gonzalez moved into a studio apartment in west Phoenix and began work at a furniture factory. Massey coached him on budgeting so that he could take over the rent, and helped him get heart medication from a doctor.
Now Gonzalez cooks his favorite dishes, Mexican food and steak, visits his daughter, goes to action movies and is saving for a bigger place. A Bible and a coloring book sit on his dining-room table.
"I'm starting back from the bottom up. ... slowly but surely. A dollar here, a dollar there," Gonzalez said, a smile beaming across his face as he sat in his plaid easy chair. "Once I got the job, I'm hanging on. ... I love working."
He and Massey are glad the program is expanding to homeless inmates.
"They helped me out," Gonzalez said. He had advice for new people in the program: "Don't give up. Ask for help. Look for resources. Stay focused. That's what I did."
Ramon Gonzalez poses in his apartment on Aug. 2, 2017" width="540" height="405" />Ramon Gonzalez poses in his apartment on Aug. 2, 2017 at the Coconut Grove Apartments in Phoenix. (Photo: Loren Townsley/The Republic)
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