SANGER – While the issue of homelessness remains ever-prevalent, the Sanger Homeless Initiative is continuing its work despite some ongoing challenges.
On the morning of Oct. 1, members of the Sanger Homeless Initiative gathered at Sanger Park for the group’s monthly check-in. During the meeting, volunteers from Set Free Sanger’s supportive housing program helped clean up trash in the park while leaders touched base on some upcoming giveaway events, future homeless outreach and the potential for a new housing site.
As homelessness continues to be an issue throughout the county and beyond, the initiative plans to increase its advocacy efforts to encourage more community participation.
“We need to be loud about this, we need to bring this up at city council meetings and we need to do something about this,” said Jacob Zailian, pastor at Set Free Sanger and Homeless Initiative coordinator, during the meeting.
One of the initiative’s major talking points was the goal of establishing what Zailian called a “designated homeless response team.” He said it could engage with unhoused individuals in a more official capacity to connect them to resources, break up encampments through code enforcement or potentially pay to transport them to family members in other areas.
Zailian said in an interview that while the police department and city council have their hands full with other matters, a better-funded group consistently working with the unhoused and cleaning local parks could start to chip away at the issue. He added that under a proposal sent to City Manager Nathan Olson, which is still pending review and further discussion, the group has asked for $3,200 a month.
“We will go out for a minimum of four hours a day with a minimum of four people a day, just making these connections, trying to place (unhoused individuals), talking to them, trying to get them connected somewhere and get them to some place,” Zailian said.
Another item of note that was discussed was a new ranch that could support Set Free Sanger’s three-phased supportive housing program. Zailian shared that the team is currently looking into a new property that could be a “game changer” for getting more people into the program, while bringing some added amenities like a dog kennel and a greenhouse.
Set Free is currently organizing a Dec. 5 banquet that can help raise money for a down payment on the property, but more details will come out about the event at a later time.
While the Sanger Homeless Initiative is starting to formulate some larger-scale goals, it remains grounded in its on-the-street outreach efforts. On Oct. 31, Set Free will be partnering with Feed My Sheep Ministries at the Carl’s Jr. on Abby Street in Fresno, where they will be giving away shoes, boxes of food and candy for children.
As part of the next monthly meeting on Nov. 5 at Set Free Church, attendees will also be doing some outreach with some of Sanger’s unhoused, informing them of Set Free’s program while providing them with socks, beanies and other winter wear.
In need of community
Despite the continued motivation of the Homeless Initiative’s members, their most prominent challenge has been growing its network of community partners to cover more ground and offer more services.
During the group’s Aug. 6 meeting, one of the key goals was to establish liaisons with other local churches and businesses to build more consistent attendance, and to keep all of the organizations on the same page. Nearly two months later, however, members reported a “hard time” getting other local groups to designate a liaison.
“It’s been tough getting people to maybe just have a heart for those that are out there,” Zailian said. “It’s easy to do it one time and it’s easy to get things going, but with those that are homeless, it’s something that we’ve got to stay consistent at. If you’re not consistently out there, it’s hard to really have any success.”
While finding new community partners has proven to be an obstacle, one of the initiative’s most consistent and longest-running partners, Beloved Survivors Trauma Recovery Center, has shown what collaboration can help create. The nonprofit provides advocacy and housing services to those in need throughout the Central Valley, and while Set Free’s housing program offers multi-faceted support through faith, peer mentoring and life skills development, Beloved Survivors helps provide clinical and counseling services to unhoused individuals.
According to Executive Director Tina Rodriguez, who attended the Oct. 1 meeting, Beloved Survivor’s Sanger location now has nearly three full-time clinicians who can help with mental health struggles like suicidal ideation, familial longing and more. Rodriguez shared that for more than a year, Set Free has been in contact with Beloved Survivors to ensure that all who enter its housing program get a full range of services when needed.
“This is a true example of how it takes a village,” said Rodriguez.
