Recently, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted to extend the Safe Parking-Safe Shelter Pilot program ordinance after Arcata House Partnership’s Executive Director Darlene Spoor talked about the success its program with the City of Arcata is having.

Spoor said many of the individuals who have participated in the Arcata safe parking program have been successful in getting temporary or permanent housing.

“The difference between our program and other programs is it’s a service program, it’s not just a parking space,” Spoor said. “They are ready to work toward getting housed and they’re very successful.”

Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services staff said this approach is what makes Arcata House Partnership (AHP) a good partner in the many programs that see them working together. Jenny Bugnacki, a program coordinator with DHHS’s Housing, Outreach & Mobile Engagement program, said, “We’ve worked with them for a long time. We have good communication between us.”

Bugnacki said DHHS and Arcata House share some clients and also attend a weekly Case Conferencing Committee meeting where they work together to get people into housing.

Humboldt County Chief Probation Officer Coral Sanders said her department is also seeing success in its collaboration with AHP. Through the Community Corrections Partnership, Probation contracts with Arcata House to run the Next Step Program. The program entails Probation renting a house from them, which has space for five residents. Probation provides intensive supervision, and Arcata House provides a case manager who works with residents to build life skills in areas such as cooking, grocery shopping, budgeting and applying for jobs. Arcata House staff also helps participants learn how to access local resources, apply for benefits and get on waiting lists for long-term supportive housing.

“We place people in the program who are transitioning back to the community, after serving their prison terms,” Sanders said. “The intent of the partnership is that if offenders don’t have to worry about satisfying essential needs, they can focus more on developing skills.”

In addition to working closely with Arcata House, DHHS is also grateful for its collaborations with the City of Arcata. DHHS Director Beck said, “We have a regularly scheduled meeting with city staff which includes County Supervisor Mike Wilson, council members, the City Manager, myself and housing staff along with homeless service providers. This has been instrumental in serving the community in and around Arcata. I want to take this time to thank the City of Arcata staff for the work that they continue to do.”  

It’s been nearly three years since DHHS Behavioral Health, and the Arcata Police Department launched the Mobile Intervention & Services Team, or MIST, which pairs police and mental health professionals to work with people in need of help in order to stabilize their mental health and secure services and assistance to avoid frequent interactions with law enforcement.

DHHS Behavioral Health Deputy Director Paul Bugnacki said that in addition to having Behavioral Health staff scheduled to be with Arcata Police two days a week, staff are also available when there is a need.

“The partnership is going well,” Paul said. “We’re able to connect people with resources and provide assessments and crisis intervention if needed. We’ve built a strong relationship with Arcata and really laid the groundwork.”

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