San Joaquin County Community Service & Support Digest

In an effort to get more unsheltered individuals off the streets, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved the creation of a crisis response team to help homeless individuals.

Volunteers gathered before sunrise for the biennial Point In Time Count, an effort to collect data on how many unsheltered homeless people live in and around the city.

San Joaquin County will get more than $7.5 million for projects that provide housing assistance or supportive services to people experiencing homelessness.

Pet owners pulled up at Van Buskirk Park in Stockton as volunteers from the Stockton Animal Shelter distributed free pet food.

A car sharing program is a step toward making lives better for the folks in the Tracy Homes public housing neighborhood, and also boosts clean energy and transportation goals.

Two San Joaquin Valley counties played a big role in developing two free apps to address the state’s youth mental health crisis.

“Progress remains slow,” according to a recent report on faculty diversity at California’s community colleges. For Nikia Chaney, the sole full-time Black faculty member at Cabrillo College, the experience is personal.

Emery Unified took a targeted approach, including paying teachers extra to stay after school and tutor students.

The Van Buskirk Park renovation will include a new skate park, two full-size basketball courts, and BMX/bike trails with lights and landscaping.

The city of Tracy’s annual Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership Program application period is now open for projects beginning July 1.

As winter begins, Interfaith Ministries in Tracy is serving more families than ever—so much that the volunteer-run organization is looking to increase its efficiency.

State audits of the University of California and the California State University found both systems have failed to comply with decades-old state and federal laws mandating the return of Native ancestral remains and cultural artifacts. Only UCLA and Cal State Long Beach have returned a majority of their collections.

Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden and members of the Police Department visited businesses on Miracle Mile as part of their end-of-the year community walk event.

A posthumous award for life-saving was presented by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office to the family of a man who died this year rescuing a woman and her five-year-old daughter from the San Joaquin River.

The financial aid application for undocumented students is cumbersome and confusing, and many students aren’t completing the forms. A new law streamlines the process.

Sharon Benninger walked into the Loads Of Hope site at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Stockon and was met with a gratifying surprise. The longtime nonprofit leader was named the 70th Stocktonian of the Year by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce and Central Valley Association of Realtors Stockton Council.

Federal funding for domestic violence shelters and housing programs is declining. Advocates want the state to step in, but with a record projected deficit new spending is unlikely.

There are a few times a year that the Ripon Police Department will deploy drone technology.

All but two California counties are delaying their implementation of a new law that makes it easier for a court to place someone in involuntary confinement if they can’t care for their own medical needs or personal safety.

Organizers of Sacramento County’s next Point-In-Time Count say they need at least 500 volunteers to help survey the region’s homeless population in January. Survey results are used to determine state and federal funding for homeless services.

The California Faculty Association is seeking a 12 percent pay increase, while university officials counter with 5 percent in each of the next three years.

In 2020, the state agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed too many students were not learning to read. As part of that agreement, the state spent over $50 million on 75 schools with the lowest reading scores.

San Diego-area nonprofits and faith organizations struggle to provide for tens of thousands of migrants border agents have released on San Diego streets.

The 40 Acre Conservation League has recently acquired hundreds of acres of land in Placer County, 70 miles northeast of Sacramento—a significant step toward making outdoor experiences more inclusive.

On Nov. 18, the NAACP Stockton Branch will hold the Freedom Fund Gala. Among the honorees are Tracy native Gary Cooper, recognized for his work with volunteer organizations, and the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury.

State law requires community colleges to spend at least half their general fund on instructors. But administrators say they want more flexibility to pay for the growing need for student services.

The Chest of Hope gave away a brand-new 2024 Honda Pilot in a raffle at its biannual gala at Garré Vineyard and Winery in Livermore.

Volunteers gathered at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church to learn about opportunities to help with the 47th year of Brighter Christmas.

Tiny homes are increasingly California cities’ shelter option of choice — but how far they go in solving homelessness is a contentious question.

After years of planning a broadband system to bridge California’s digital divide, officials deprioritized some low-income areas due to unexpected costs. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s committed to funding the entire network, but advocates are skeptical.

Despite an influx of money to counter learning loss during the pandemic, English language arts and math test scores remain low.

Toni McNeil recalls growing up on the south side of Stockton, where a sign outside the housing project where she lived read, “Stockton, Someplace Special.” She says, “Right under the sign folks were selling dope, smoking dope and banging.”