SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – A 68-year-old registered sex offender has no time left on his stay at a Marin County hotel and his case manager is making an unusual plea for someone to house his client so that he doesn’t have to sleep in a tent under a freeway.
“The day I get released, I’m supposed to be on the street with diabetes,” said Socorro ____, whose first language is Spanish. He is a registered sex offender who served three years in prison after being convicted for molesting his girlfriend’s nieces more than a decade ago. He is on parole for another year and a half.
Then, pointing to his ankle monitor, he said: “And I have no place to charge the device.”
While there are some unusual aspects of Alvarado’s story, it’s exposed a pretty common debate over the release of sex offenders: There are those who don’t want sex offenders living near their homes and children and feel they shouldn’t receive any help or compassion for what they did in the past. And there are those on the other side, who believe that society should do everything they can to help and rehabilitate all those with criminal pasts, even those who committed sexual offenses.
However, despite these stark philosophical differences, there are at least two things these unlikely allies do agree on: Giving sex offenders stable housing cuts down on recidivism rates and knowing where they are living is better for public safety.
I hope if Janice Bellucci does start suing homeless shelters i hope she starts with Union Rescue Missions in California and all homeless shelters in Orange County.
The staff at the Long Beach Rescue Mission are very rude they’ll hang up the phone in your face if you tell them you’re 290 registrants.
It’s funny because their whole organization is supposed to be about GOD and forgiveness and love thy neighbor, their so full of shiit those people are pure evil.
The Union Rescue Mission is a one of the biggest homeless shelter organizations in America, but only the California chapter doesn’t take in sex offenders.
Good luck
The Fresno Rescue Mission operates a drug rehabilitation program that takes in 290s. It is the ONLY such drug rehabilitation program in California of which I am aware. It is self-insured so there is no issue with insurance coverage. It does not bill Medicare for its services as Medicare will not provide coverage to programs that allow 290s as clients (thanks Uncle Sam). The Fresno Rescue Mission also operates a short-term housing shelter which also allows 290s. It also employs 290s as staff. The people who operate this mission are some of the finest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I think if insurance wasn’t an issue, you’d find many other Missions allowing 290s. I think for many of these missions, it’s business, not personal, with respect to 290s.
The problem with insurance companies is that LAWYERS are the ones who are consulted and advise (and in many cases decide) as to what is (or isn’t) “risk prohibitive”, this in respect to 290s. If there was a pathway to educate those in the insurance industry who make risk assessments about the low risk of most 290s, a great deal of these problems could be resolved. I would hope that the lawyers involved with ACSOL may have some insight as to how such an educational effort may manifest itself.
If the streets aren’t safe why not get rid of the blanket restrictions placed on registrants. A person should be allowed shelter, food, and community support regardless of their circumstances. Allow them in shelters, half way houses, or other types of organizations for people with. needs. Banishment has no place in a free society.
Don’t forget emergency shelters when hurricanes or any other natural disasters strike. Doors are slammed shut on you and you are on your own to brave the elements.