By Ann Smith
Reporter

A topic creating a range of emotions has been simmering in Idyllwild, Pine Cove and Mountain Center. The Town Crier will attempt to give you some current information on homelessness in the local area.
Homelessness is the result of various circumstances such as lack of affordable housing, mental health, substance abuse, loss of income, abusive living situation, aging out of the foster care system and human trafficking.
Hemet has all the necessities and infrastructure for those who are unhoused. Idyllwild does not have an infrastructure in place. It is also known by many as a compassionate community, willing to do more than its fair share to help those in need, usually at their own personal expense.
Let’s talk about the homeless numbers first. After an exhaustive search of available records, it was determined there are no completely accurate numbers. This is an estimate based on many conversations, documents and an email from the county supervisor’s office.
About nine unhoused people are in the communities of Idyllwild, Pine Cove and Mountain Center. The number of encampments is uncertain, as they’re pretty well hidden.
Resident Karen Pomer pointed out that she has observed cars and vans parked in various locations with people sleeping in them. Reba Coulter, of Idyllwild Shuttle, shared that it’s difficult to know who of those they serve are actually homeless. Idyllwild Shuttle received a grant from Riverside County Transit Commission (RCTC), giving the organization the ability to serve those in need of transportation, including the rare person who admits to being homeless and needs a ride down the hill to Hemet.
The Idyllwild Rotary, according to president Ygnacio Garcia, does not have a formal plan in place to address homelessness.
Pine Cove resident Ronnie Imel, who is a volunteer for the American Legion (Hemet), said he encounters very few homeless veterans in the Idyllwild area. Imel is involved with homeless veterans in the Hemet area.
Libraries are a safe place to sit, rest and stay cool on hot summer days.
The public relations representative for the Riverside County Library System was not available for comment regarding the Idyllwild Library. On any given day, you can visit any public library and see for yourself the challenges faced by those who are unhoused and seeking a haven.
The newspaper emailed Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) regarding the current number of students who are classified as homeless, which includes “a child without a regular, fixed and adequate nighttime residence. The child may live in a shelter, a temporary home, a motel, a car, a campground or on the street. Homeless children may also be living temporarily with relatives or friends because of a loss of permanent housing.” As of now, more than 900 of the district’s students classify as homeless. “This year has been our lowest, as families moved around and did not declare due to virtual learning,” wrote Maura Fuentes of HUSD. “As we had students come back to hybrid learning and they needed to go to school we started learning about their situations and our numbers started to grow again.”
Neighboring Hemet has a serious homeless problem. When the possibility of new building for low-income residents comes up, Hemet and other locals receive the “NIMBY” (not in my backyard) response. How does one address this problem? It doesn’t fully address the homeless problem, and it likely impacts the value of existing real estate in which it is located and ultimately, will affect the Idyllwild community.
In a July 9 email, Michelle DeArmond, chief of staff to District 3 Supervisor Chuck Washington, wrote “2020 Point in Time [PIT] data showed 202 individuals were located without a home in the unincorporated areas county-wide. Fifty-four (54) of those individuals were identified in the third district. The 2020 PIT Count data was used because the 2021 PIT Count only identified ‘sheltered individuals’ due to Covid. 2020 PIT Count Report: http://dpss.co.riverside.ca.us/files/pit/2020-homeless-point-intime-count-report.pdf. Overall total 2,844 = (729 sheltered + 2155 unsheltered). There were eight unsheltered identified in the unincorporated areas of Idyllwild/Pine Cove. Historically, veterans, seniors and youth have been provided with ‘immediate’ follow-up resources due to capacity. For next year’s PIT count, the county is exploring how to offer this more readily across the board. At this time, assistance is provided for all as needed by calling HomeConnect at 1-800-498-8847. So, in general, requests regarding county services for individuals who are without a home in the Idyllwild/Pine Cove area have been low. We are aware that most individuals without a home typically stay closer to the city areas. Additionally, the county continues to provide help with homeless prevention services and is available if there is a place where the county can build capacity in the Idyllwild/Pine Cove area. Riverside University Health System (RUHS)-Behavioral Health has an outreach worker that visits the area regularly. We are coordinating with both the Housing Authority and RUHS–Behavioral Health Teams to visit the library in Idyllwild where the cooling center is being operated. We will be updating staff with resources/handouts regarding access to homeless services in order to facilitate a connection to a street outreach worker via HomeConnect, who can provide follow-up services and information on housing resources.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into effect one of many long-awaited bills to address homelessness in California. According to a press release issued by the governor’s office, it is a “$12 billion investment over two years to tackle homelessness” and “focuses on behavioral health housing and solutions to tent encampments.”
The package includes $5.8 billion to create more than 42,000 new homeless housing units, including housing options for people with severe mental health challenges, aid for larger cities, Condominiums of Care and counties with new strict accountability measures and $10.3 billion in affordable housing funding to spur residential construction.
This doesn’t do much for Idyllwild. What do you feel would be the most relevant and immediate need to address and eliminate homelessness?

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