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VICTORVILLE – The City of Victorville and the Victorville Police Department have been working together to provide solutions to help the homeless in the community.

Although the County of San Bernardino, along with homeless providers in the Victor Valley are working vigorously to help provide services to the homeless there is always a need for additional services based on the diverse needs of the homeless person. Every person is individual and every need is also. The County of San Bernardino has brought organizations together in order to collaborate and learn how together to best assist the homeless in the Victor Valley community.

To take this a step farther, the City of Victorville and the Victorville Police Department have identified one group that they are able to quickly assist by providing financial support in order to get a homeless person who has out-of-area support to the support needed.

“Sheriff’s deputies learned many of the city’s homeless found themselves stranded in Victorville due to an unfortunate life event and without the financial means to recover,” said Victorville Sheriff’s Department Spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez in a news release. This need made the City of Victorville and the Victorville Police Department start the ‘Victim Assistance Program’, which provides the funds necessary to provide bus tickets for those stranded in the City of Victorville. “Sheriff’s deputies identified homeless individuals who were candidates for the program; and prior to purchasing a bus ticket, deputies personally confirmed that a friend or family member was willing and able to assist the recipient upon arrival,” added Rodriguez.

This program began in July 2017, and as of August 31, 2017, fifteen people have been assisted. These people were assisted in relocating to different areas California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, New York and Washington. Although those helped could have sought assistance from local organizations including, High Desert Homeless Services, The Family Assistance Program, Victor Valley Rescue Mission, Victory Outreach, or one of many other programs, these people had family or friends outside of the area that were willing and able to provide assistance.

With the help of this program these fifteen people were able to physically get to the support needed. Of those assisted were a toddler and her mother, who were victims of domestic violence and were living in the riverbed, a young man fighting drug addiction, an 18-year old who was put out on the street when he aged out of the foster system, a man who lost his job, and a mom and her eight year old who were left homeless after the home she was renting went into foreclosure.

For more information or questions about the Victim Assistance Program, please contact Deputy Asiah Medawar or Deputy Alan Pennington at the Victorville Police Department, (760) 241-2911.