San Joaquin County officials indicate they are taking a harder line in dealing with unhoused people who refuse to accept help — and they believe the efforts are paying off.
A forum held this week by the county Board of Supervisors brought together local officials at all levels as well as nonprofits and other agencies working to tackle the longstanding homelessness problem in the area. They gathered to share strategies and see how they can coordinate in dealing with one of the county’s most vexing problems.
The event was upbeat and offered encouragement in finding solutions even as it took a tough-love tone. Officials expressed hope that their efforts are paying off as homeless counts show big drops in the number of unhoused people in the county.
With more shelter beds available, officials have been more vocal about pressing people who are sleeping on the streets or in encampments to accept one.
Sheriff Patrick Withrow said his teams have a policy of giving unhoused individuals they encounter one hour to accept offers of shelter, treatment or other aid. If they don’t, they can face arrest if they don’t pack up and move on, he said.
“You can’t arrest your way out” of the homeless problem, Withrow told the gathering. But “you must arrest your way in” by taking those who refuse help into custody. Once an unsheltered person is in the court system, a judge can mandate treatment, medications or other assistance.
“A lot of the people we come across now are not the ones that are looking for help,” Withrow said.
The Sheriff’s Office isn’t the only agency taking a harder line. Lodi officials said they are weighing whether to shorten the city’s policy of 72 hours notice before clearing out a homeless camp, reducing it to 24 hours.
County and city officials took note of the resources they can offer the unhoused. Stockton has a 627-bed shelter on a single site. San Joaquin County expects its $261-million behavioral health campus in French Camp, SJ BeWell, to start accepting patients as soon as April. Plus, agencies offer myriad other programs aimed at addiction treatment, job training and more. Officials say they even provide bus or train tickets for unhoused people who want to try to reunite with families in other cities.
“The wheels (are) starting to turn,” said Tina McCarty, Stockton’s housing and homelessness chief. “We are getting the encampments cleaned out.”
The resources are making a difference too. The number of people experiencing homelessness in the county has fallen dramatically.
The most recent federally mandated count of the homeless population showed the number has dropped by nearly half in the past two years — from 3,469 to 1,838.
By contrast, California’s most populous county, Los Angeles, saw only a 3% decrease over the same two-year period and a slight 1.2% rebound between 2025 and 2026.
San Joaquin County Supervisor Steven Ding touted the success of San Francisco in reducing the number of people living on its streets with its own get-tough policy. It initiated homeless sweeps in 2024 to clear the sidewalks. This year, it reported its highest rate of people accepting shelter and the lowest number of people still sleeping on the street since 2011.
Ding said he wants to see a similar approach — and results — in San Joaquin County.
“We have what’s needed here to take care of those that truly, truly want help,” he said. “And the rest of them, we’re going to help them want to get help.”
And for those who are left, Ding said, they’ve “got to go away.”