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May 8 , 2006 • VOL. 44, NO. 9 • Oakland, CA
Homeless men
and women
treated to one-stop services fair
St. Vincent
de Paul Center in downtown Oakland played host to 300 homeless men and
women, April 21, for a one-stop services fair.
Forty-two agencies, including the human services department of the City
of Oakland and the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, came together
to offer a full range of free services from medical and dental care to
legal advice and job training referrals.
Participants could sign up for General Assistance and food stamps, get
a warm coat and other clothes, take a shower, and enroll in a custodial
training program.
The St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room provided hot meals. Supervised shopping
cart parking was available.
Alameda Country Superior Court Judge Gordon Baranco presided over a special
walk-up court where homeless people could have minor misdemeanors dismissed
on the spot. The court, which meets periodically, is modeled on a similar
program in San Diego to help homeless people clear their records of nonviolent
misdemeanors such as sleeping in public parks, public drunkenness, petty
theft and traffic violations. The defendants are given credit for participating
in substance abuse and other programs and for volunteer service.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Alameda County co-sponsored the entire
program.
David Taylor gives Eric Bolden of Oakland a haircut.
The barbershop was one of numerous health and hygiene services offered
during the fair.
Jennifer Kanenaga, a nurse practitioner, examines
Dominique Jackson in a medical services truck during the one-stop services
fair for people who are homeless.
GREG TARCZYNSKI PHOTOS
