In the latest episode of the “Pathways to Shelter” video series, the San Bernardino County Office of Homeless Services features a man who overcame homelessness and a severe addiction to drugs and alcohol with support from the sheriff’s department.
Kevin Bourke found himself living in a riverbed encampment, but his previous life was much different. He had a good job and steady income working as an HVAC journeyman installing HVAC systems for sheriff stations, schools, fire departments and military bases.
Everything changed, however, after he was laid off from his last assignment installing an HVAC system at Fort Irwin near Barstow. Bourke’s employer told him to stay in a motel that they arranged for him and assured him that if he called in 30 days, he could resume working.
Prior to the layoff, Bourke was using drugs recreationally but during this time in the motel, his drinking and substance use increased to a point where he fell into addiction. When the 30-day period ended, Bourke did not call his employer back to see if work was available. He had saved some money and at first paid for the room himself after payments to the motel from his employer stopped.
When money ran out and homelessness set in, Bourke eventually ended up in a riverbed encampment. During that time, he faced many challenges — inclement weather, violence by other unhoused individuals and an arrest for public intoxication.
It wasn’t until he connected with the SBSD’s Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement program that Bourke began to turn his life around.
“The HOPE team came out to the riverbed and they were really nice,” Bourke said in a statement. “They told me they were not there to take me to jail; they just wanted to talk to me. It was super cool because that never happened to me before. Prior to that, my experience with law enforcement was basically just getting arrested all the time, so they were kind of like my enemy.”
Bourke said the deputies asked him the amount of time he had been living in the riverbed, the location from where he came and his reason for was in the riverbed.
“I’m pretty sure that I was honest with them,” Bourke said. “Then they asked me if I wanted a second chance at life. No one has ever asked me that before. So, I thought about it for a second, and I was like, yeah, who wouldn’t.”
Bourke said deputies then explained that they were involved in a housing program to support people experiencing homelessness.
According to the sheriff’s HOPE team, the path to shelter requires several steps to acquire housing vouchers through a permanent supportive housing program that’s federally funded and administered by the county Housing Authority.
“Before someone can be issued a voucher, they must qualify through interviews to make sure they meet the program’s requirements,” according to the county. “This can take time. In addition, the client must also provide a birth certificate, Social Security card and other pertinent documents. Many times, people experiencing homelessness do not have these documents immediately available so they must obtain them. After the client obtains these documents, they are submitted to the Housing Authority for review and approval. Once the documents have been approved by the Housing Authority, the client can begin to search for a potential landlord.”
After introducing the housing program to Bourke, HOPE team members offered him temporary shelter. When Bourke refused, they gave him a trash bag, asked him to start cleaning up his area and said they would return in a couple of months.
“Sure enough, they came back,” said Bourke. “They were super cool, and they went into a little bit of detail about the housing program. They told me they would come back again in a month, only this time, they would invite a behavioral health specialist to interview me. I was excited for that, but at the same time, I didn’t really want to talk to a behavioral health specialist knowing that I was still using drugs. That’s when I decided to get sober because I knew that if I stopped drinking and doing drugs then maybe I’d be able to take their help.”
After the HOPE team’s follow-up, Bourke said it took four days to detoxify himself.
“I had never been sicker in my life, but after I finished detoxing, that’s when I went to my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting,” he said. “I used the 12-step program from Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous and it changed my life.”
While recovering from his attempt at victory over addiction, a behavioral health specialist spoke with Bourke and placed him on a waiting list. He called the sheriff’s HOPE team every day to check on his status, and after a couple of months they called him back with exciting news — they were able to get him a housing voucher, and now it was up to him to find a landlord that would accept it.
Eventually, he found an apartment where currently lives. Bourke then got a truck driving license and no longer depends on the housing voucher, and he has a family that includes a young daughter who he cherishes, officials said.
“I’m grateful to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for the support they provided to me,” Bourke said. “I used to think of them as my enemies, but they turned out to be people that I really love and care for. I also want to say that homeless people can change. They can come out of a terrible situation and change their lives completely.”
Not only is Bourke independent and free from drugs and alcohol, “he’s also a leader with Alcoholics Anonymous and helps others overcome their addiction,” officials said.
To notify the HOPE team about people experiencing homelessness, the county advised the public to call the HOPE team at 909-387-0623 or email hope@sbcsd.org.
The episode featuring Bourke is on a county YouTube page.
