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Sheriff’s HOPE team reports 2,182 contacts and 1,404 service connections in 2024; camping ordinance used for cleanups
Summary
Washoe County Sheriff's Office HOPE outreach deputies told commissioners they made 2,182 contacts in 2024, connected 1,404 people to services and completed encampment cleanups under the county’s camping ordinance; the board discussed enforcement and housing links.
Washoe County’s HOPE (Homeless Outreach Proactive Engagement) team reported to commissioners on Tuesday that the unit made 2,182 contacts and connected 1,404 people to services during calendar 2024, and that the team’s work has expanded into regular community‑court participation and assistance with evictions.
Sergeant Natasha Schutte, who leads the HOPE team, told the board the unit sheltered 44 individuals in the field, made 65 community‑court diversions and assisted the civil‑process unit 93 times. She said the team completed 15 warning citations for a fall cleanup near the “End of World” area, coordinated 72‑hour notices, and worked with Washoe County Roads and the Sheriff’s inmate work crew to remove hundreds of tons of debris during a November cleanup. The team issued 15 warning citations after that cleanup and reported four on‑site housings that resulted from outreach.
Captain Andy Venn, who presented jail statistics alongside the outreach update, said the facility’s average daily population has trended upward and that a longer presentation on the detention facility will be scheduled for a future meeting. The captain characterized the ordinance as intended to steer people into services; Schutte explained the HOPE team’s graduated approach: an initial verbal contact and referral, a subsequent warning citation if contacts continue, then a formal citation and, as a last resort, arrest to facilitate services in detention.
Commissioners asked about outcomes, the rate at which people accept services and how enforcement can push encampments to other locations. Commissioner Claire Andreola and others praised the team’s emphasis on relationship‑based outreach and encouraged continued regional coordination. The board asked the sheriff’s office to continue reporting outcomes and to ensure enforcement is coupled to available housing and services.
Why this matters: the sheriff’s HOPE team is the county’s outreach arm for unsheltered populations, and commissioners pressed for continued data on housing placements and citations as the county balances enforcement and service connections.
What’s next: the sheriff’s office will return with more detailed jail operations metrics at a later meeting; the HOPE team said it will continue weekly presence in community court and work with partner agencies on cleanups and housing placements.
