City council, police discuss efforts to tackle homelessness in Cathedral City

On Wednesday, City Council and Cathedral City police discussed what’s being done to bring down the number of homeless in the city.

According the most recent homeless point in time count this year, Cathedral City has seen an increase in numbers.

Resident Eric Jimenez spoke out during the meeting, saying he deals with the problem every day. “I hear there’s less homeless everyday, but if you go to my neighborhood... every morning I can show you the same people that are there for years.”

He believes the problem has gotten so out of hand, that his family feels unsafe at times. “My kids, they don’t feel safe to go outside anymore. In my house I can show you they broke into my house 4 times already.”

Since 2020, Cathedral City has seen a 39% increase in unsheltered people.

Commander Jon Enos said he believes substance abuse and family problems are driving factors. “A lot of families will send their loved ones out of the area. And as I’ve known and I’m sure a lot of people know, people relapse and they leave. They leave them, their family doesn’t want them back, so now we are here in the Valley and the cities in the Valley are dealing with people who no longer have a place to go.”

Commander Enos said they plan to tackle big areas of concern. “Palm Canyon, Ramon Road, Date Palm Drive and along I-10. Along those roads." He also added that the Fountain of Life in front of City Hall is another area for the homeless.

Cathedral City Police created the Homeless Liaison Unit in 2015 with one officer on duty. In 2019, another officer was added so two officers could work together to tackle homelessness in the city.

The current police efforts were questioned by the City’s Mayor Ernesto Gutierrez, “Well the results have not been better, they have not doubled. We have the same problems that we did before. I don’t see any difference between then and now, even though we have 2 officers.”

Police Chief George Crum argued they should add a mental health specialist to the team to better reduce homelessness. “That mental health technician has that additional resource that we don’t currently have. And can get them beyond Cathedral City.”

During the City Council meeting Wednesday night, the city also passed an agreement with CVAG (Coachella Valley Association-Government) to provide $100,000 annually through June 2025 toward the CV Housing First program.