HOMELESS COURT TEAM & STEERING COMMITTEE
The hub of the Homeless Court in San Diego is the Steering Committee. Acting similar to a Board of Directors, the Steering Committee provides the direction and policy for HCP, provides regular training to member Provider agencies, and approves new Providers to become HCP referring members.
ROB SMITH
Steering Committee Chair
Robert has worked in workforce development since 2000 serving primarily justice involved populations. He joined the Center for Employment Opportunities in 2015, providing a comprehensive suite of job readiness services to those impacted by criminal justice history to help individuals avoid the cycle that often leads the back to incarceration by creating opportunities to find and retain employment. Over the past two decades he has worked across the US, London, Ireland and Scotland assisting formerly incarcerated people, programs and systems. His passion and dedication is fueled by his own lived experience of cycling through the justice system and wanting to break the cycle.
Email: rsmith@ceoworks.org
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MATT WECHTER
Supervising Public Defender
Pretrial and Community Connections - HCP
Matt Wechter is a Supervising Public Defender with the San Diego Office of the Public Defender. As Director of the Public Defender Homeless Court Team and Supervising Attorney for the HCP Steering Committee, Matt acts as a liaison between the Superior Court, District Attorney, City Attorney, and Homeless Court Providers (HCPs); in this capacity, he represents San Diego's homeless population during monthly homeless court sessions and orchestrates and executes the annual Homeless Court @ Stand Down, San Diego's annual 3-day homeless veteran event. Matt is also an active member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, which provides policy guidance and technical assistance to replicate the ABA/San Diego HCP model in jurisdictions across the country. At heart, Matt is a technology junkie - leveraging high-tech solutions where possible to support efficiencies with tight resources and to serve as many clients as possible.
email: matthew.wechter@sdcounty.ca.gov
DAN FORSBERG
Steering Committee Co-Chair
Dan Forsberg has worked at the VA San Diego Healthcare System since 2010 and has been involved with Homeless Court since 2014. He works as a social worker in the Veteran’s Justice Outreach program. The purpose of the Veteran Justice Outreach (VJO) Initiative is to avoid the unnecessary criminalization of mental illness and extended incarceration among Veterans by ensuring that eligible justice-involved Veterans have timely access to VA mental health and substance use services when clinically indicated, and other VA services and benefits as appropriate. Part of Dan’s role is to facilitate Veteran access to the San Diego Homeless Court and support treatment to address the underlying issues related to homelessness.
email: daniel.forsberg@va.gov
RAYMOND SAIGH
Steering Committee Member
Ray has been a member of the Homeless Court Steering Committee since the summer of 2017. Ray is responsible for holding Homeless Court every other month at Father Joe's Villages. Ray is the Manager of Employment Services at Father Joe's Villages. Ray has been working for non-profits for 26 years. He started working for Disabled American Veterans in 1994, and then moved to Father Joe's Villages in 2003 as Supervisor of Employment Services. As Manager, Ray is responsible for assisting the Homeless to become job ready and obtain employment. The Employment and Education Services department, which Ray is the manager, offers job ready classes like Computer, Resume, Interview and Application. Ray enjoys working at Father Joe's Villages, whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness one life at a time. Father Joe's Villages achieves this mission by providing outcome-based programs in the spirit of the CREED, Compassion, Respect, Empathy, Empowerment and Dignity.
email: raymond.saigh@neighbor.org
Paul Armstrong
Steering Committee Member
Paul Armstrong is a native of Albuquerque New Mexico. He served for over twenty years in the United States Navy as a Supply Corps Officer and a Chaplain.
He went to work at The Salvation Army after his retirement from the Navy. He served as the San Diego County Social Service Director. He was then able to transition to the Regional Task Force on the Homeless where he served as the Chief Programs Officer. In May 2020 he transitioned to the San Diego Rescue Mission where he currently serves as the Vice President for Programs.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of New Mexico. He has earned his Masters in Business Administration from Brenau University, Masters of Divinity from Bethel Seminary and his Masters in Social Work from University of Southern California.
email: parmstrong@sdrescue.org
Carlos Cuervo
Steering Committee Member
Carlos Cuervo is a Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor with McAlister Institute. He has worked as a counselor and as Case Manager and Program manager for the residential detox program and the Sobering Center for McAlister. He is currently a Homeless Outreach Coordinator for McAlister. He has worked closely with many agencies involved with substance use and homelessness over the past ten years including law enforcement agencies.
Jessika Mora
Steering Committee Member
Jessika Mora, a 40-year-old San Diego native and mother of two, has always harbored a deep passion for aiding others. Known for her compassionate heart and resourcefulness, Jessika has dedicated her career to making a positive impact in her community. As someone who once was a client of the Homeless Court program, she knows first-hand how the program works and the significant positive impact it makes for those in need. Currently serving as a case manager with Metro Community Ministries Inc., she channels her unwavering commitment to helping others into her work, striving to empower and support individuals in need.
Isboset (Izzy) Moreno
Steering Committee Member
Isboset Moreno, also known as Izzy, is a dedicated and passionate individual committed to making a positive impact in the community. With a wealth of passion and knowledge in working with special populations, Izzy brings invaluable expertise to his role as a Program Specialist at the San Diego Workforce Partnership, specifically within the Prison to Employment Services team.
Throughout his career, Izzy has been a steadfast advocate for those in need, cultivating and maintaining relationships across the country. Izzy has demonstrated a deep commitment to empowering individuals and fostering opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Driven by a genuine desire to uplift others, Izzy's work is characterized by compassion, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of equity and justice. With a firm belief in the transformative power of employment , housing and education, Izzy continues to be a beacon of hope and inspiration for the justice involved and homelessness community.
Michael Evans
Steering Committee Member
TBD