After homeless man's death at encampment, Ventura County leaders vow to expand services

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (KABC) -- After a homeless man's recent death at a Thousand Oaks encampment, Ventura County officials on Monday vowed to expand services for the county's unhoused population.

On Monday, Ventura County Supervisor Jeff Gorell held a press conference alongside city and county officials to discuss the death of 56-year-old Brian Ashheim, a homeless man who died in February. People living at the same encampment where Ashheim died said it was raining at the time and said he was sleeping under a wet blanket.

"It was really, really cold then," said one resident. "It was bad. It was wet and it made it worse."

Ventura County Medical Examiner Dr. Christopher Young revealed Ashheim's official cause of death, saying it was "a result of heart disease and chronic alcoholism."

"People experiencing homelessness are a vulnerable population with an increased risk for premature death from either natural or unnatural causes," he said.

Officials said about two dozen people live in that encampment. There are no homeless shelters in Thousand Oaks and there are facilities in other cities in Ventura County.

People also told Eyewitness News that Ashheim was at the encampment for a short time and was dealing with a number of personal issues. They said he was dealing with them the best he could.

"He was also depressed. He had just gotten out of a 16-year relationship and he was heartbroken over that. He was a nice guy. He kept to himself a lot."

Now, officials are trying to deal with the bigger issue of getting people into a safe environment.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisor's recently adopted a plan that focuses on the following areas:

• Application for up to $2.6 million in homeless housing, assistance, and prevention funding through the Ventura County Continuum of Care

• Addition of 15 full-time positions across the Human Services Agency, County Executive Office and Sheriff's Office

• Homeless and Housing Solutions Director positions

• Expansion of the Homeless Liaison Unit within the Sheriff's Office providing increased support to connect homeless people with services

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