Homeless men go to work for free rent

Homeless men go to work for free rent

Recovery Intercepts Homeless Sooner Than Later

Noel meets with Donaldson after reading Times article

Since the story of the Homeless Initiative broke in a recent Sunday issue of the St Pete Times I have received a number of telephone calls from its readers. Some have called with an interest in helping but most who have called found themselves homeless and in need of help.

I wanted to tell the story of one such homeless man named Noel who had been living out if his pickup truck. I agreed to meet Noel at a Town N' Country McDonalds where we sat down over coffee to discuss his problem.

This is an important assessment phase in the recovery process since early on I realized that not all homeless candidates are created equal. Successful recovery is not the one-size-fits-all cliche that is broadcast as an all encompassing cure-all for rehabilitation.

What's more interesting is now that the homeless initiative has been helping people for more than fourteen months -- the word is out, and we're catching the homeless in our nets much earlier. Noel has been homeless for just two months compared to an average time of three or fours years as we were finding when the recovery effort first started.

Even though Noel was homeless he had all the right stuff to get a leg up on his recovery. When asked why he was homeless he took responsibility for his complacency and feeling comfortable in a job that he had for almost ten years. Noel said he failed to make his skills more marketable -- he stayed in the same job for ten years and never expanded his scope of knowledge and his hourly wage reflected that, he said.

The first thing I suggested for Noel was to shave his greying goatee. It might seem like scant advice but prospective employers like to see a clean-shaven face, and he admitted it took ten years off his appearance. I also told Noel not to hide from his homeless status but to embrace it instead -- even with prospective employers. But there was one caveat, tell them that your getting help from Deputy Donaldson and hand them my business card. It seems when the average person discovers that if even the police are willing to help a homeless person get off the street, they feel compelled to help them too. It's just another intriguing human phenomenon that makes the initiative work like no other.

And almost like clockwork, I get a surprise phone call from a very excited Noel who has called to tell me that on this labor day weekend he has not only secured a job but had already started work as well. This is the boost that he needed on the first leg of his recovery for him to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Noel's case is an example of how the homeless initiative is intercepting those in need at the outset of their homeless journey -- not many years later. What we have learned is the sooner we can intervene the easier it is to help them get off the streets.

Congratulations to Noel for acknowledging that he needed help and having the perseverance to keep his head above water.

Deputy Steven Donaldson

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

District III

Office: (813) 247-0330

Email:  sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us

Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs

Deputy Jerry Andrews Advances Initiative in SuitCase City

Many months ago when the Homeless Initiative began to surface, I knew that its tenets were derived from a core set of values, a belief system, that would have to attract a larger audience. For the initiative to help more people it would have to grow and expand into other areas and even other agencies.

The first leg of this expansion spilled over into the District I area of Hillsborough County, often alluded to as "Suitcase City", mostly due to its transient population with a prominent homeless presence.

The concept of the initiative was introduced at every early morning roll call at District I, in hopes that just one deputy would step up to the plate and spearhead this contemporary brand of law enforcement doctrine as it scaled incrementally. It would take the right type of person or personality trait however, and ultimately it was Deputy Jerry Andrews who was hand picked amongst the likely candidates.

In the months that would follow Andrews has kicked down a lot of doors in what has been seen by many as a fragmented system to help the homeless. Sometimes to make things happen differently you have to be a consequential and candid candidate to a fault. When your trying to do things that defy conventional wisdom you're seen as a disruptor or a contrarion; but, admittedly Andrews wears this new found title as a distinguished badge of honor.

There has been significant progress for change in Andrews wake -- a number of resources have been unearthed -- programs that have helped his homeless get off the streets, receive free eye exams and prescription eye wear, and most recently he assisted a young homeless women expecting a child find housing.

It seems that Andrews has his own set of core values that align with the same values as the homeless initiative and that's what made him a natural selection to be at the forefront of this pioneering effort.

So, a special tribute to District I and their very own Deputy Andrews for thoughtfully embracing the initiative and making it their own.

Steve

"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required."

This past Wednesday morning started out like most with the homeless initiative in full-swing -- it's 7:00 am, traveling north on Dale Mabry Highway in morning traffic headed to an early morning appointment where two of my recently housed candidates are waiting for a ride to Workforce Alliance to get help with employment assistance.

Then came the distraction on the side of the roadway. A sixty-year-old man, shirtless and pot-bellied, thumbing a ride as he hobbled with a limp in the concrete gutter.

It doesn't take an expert eye to identify the telltale signs of homelessness: disheveled, unkempt in appearance, surrounded and beset with troubles. I doubled back rerouting abruptly into the closest parking lot to intercept the staggered hitchhiking senior.

The open-ended introduction usually starts in a typical fashion on the street, "What's going on?" I said. Bypassing the formal exchange in the interest of the tight morning schedule.

The man's name is James, and as suspected -- he has been homeless for a year -- just released from the community hospital up the street. He still wears the hospital wrist band and the impressions of two heart monitoring leads freshly ripped from his chest. James tells me that he's thumbing a ride to the social security office but admits he doesn't know it's exact location. With no realistic plan in mind James is a wandering and haphazard mess, his outcome out of his grief is determined by and dependent only on chance and blind luck.

A quick assessment reveals the most urgent priorities for a man in his condition: food, clothing and at least interim shelter. Within minutes of our first meeting James is in my back seat -- we're on our way to a homeless recovery agency by the 7:30 am deadline for assistance. I scratch out a written referral detailing a summary of James' dilemma with a quick note that says: 

"... call me on my cell when he's done."

We now have a working relationship with these agencies; so now, they're in proper cadence with the strategy that comes along with this type of street engagement. It's this type of cooperating effort between traditionally disconnected government entities that has filled the gaps in what has always been a fragmented system.

Fast forward to 1:30 in the afternoon, my two earlier candidates are finished with their employment assistance and returned home. I get a call from Suzanne, the Homeless Recovery case manager helping James. Suzanne discusses her strategy for James over the telephone and asks for my input -- she explains,

 "I've given him an emergency food voucher, some fresh clothing, and interim housing until the end of the month."

 "Great", I said. He has his head above water and now we can work on solving his bigger problems.

I pick James up and hammer out a few details with Suzanne to get the ball rolling with his recovery -- first, a trip to to the Sweet Bay grocery where customers snap there heads in a double take watching a cop and a homeless man fill the basket with the benefit of a food voucher. Thanks to Leona, an office employee at District III, he also received a bag of mens toiletries which greatly saved him on his food bill. It's a quick $65 Dollar food run then back into the patrol car to his interim housing around the corner. James gets situated into his new bunk, and eventually showered and into some fresh clothing.

However ill-conceived, James came down to Florida a year ago to help his son, but like many, he fell into a trap himself. His solution should be easy, he says: a $110 Dollar bus fare back to New Jersey where he has roots and friends that he know will help. In Florida he has no such legacy of assistance. So the plan is in motion -- I'll reach out to someone for the meager investment in their community, I know someone will step up since, "For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required."

Deputy Steven Donaldson

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

District III Homeless Initiative

Office: (813) 247-0330

Email:  sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us

Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs
HelpCopsHelpUs.org

Jay Berman: "Mayor of Town N' Country" Holds Impromptu Town Hall Meeting

It was during Friday's lunch hour at the Town N' Country ABC Pizza where Jay Berman arrived unannounced.

As you may recall, Jay has been dubbed the "Mayor of Town N' Country" by his homeless cohorts. I'm not certain of it's origin, other than to say it was most likely derived from a sneering contempt.

Nonetheless, he affectionately wears it well; as he spotted me seated in a booth within the crowded dining room with a fellow deputy. Jay stood at the edge of our table to pay homage to the deputy he seemingly feels beholden. Jay probably has received less assistance when compared to the many others we have helped get off the streets. But as Jay put it, while grandstanding with his ear-splitting demonstration of thanks, "You've helped me more than anyone...and I wanted to thank you!"

Jay then reached into his pocket and offers to pay for my lunch buffet.

"Jay, put the money back in your pocket." I said. "I can't take your money, this is what we get paid to do."

I did sit down with Jay later at his table and the before and after picture is almost startling. He's cleaned-up, his hair had been recently cut and his clothes were clean. He even told me that he is trying to kick his fixation with drinking and has been attending "AA" meetings.

The homeless initiative adheres to the "housing-first" philosophy, where we believe once these folks have a home off the streets everything else will eventually fall into place. Jay has proven that for me, since early on I didn't have a lot of faith in his successful rehabilitation.

I'm proud to say Jay has proven that my doubt was wrong -- and with that, he as well re-payed any personal obligation of indebtedness.

Steve

Lenscrafters Set Their Sights On The Homeless

It was an early Wednesday morning when a call for service came in -- a homeless man was sleeping behind a Publix and management wanted him relocated. I pulled my cruiser around the back near the loading dock area and didn't see anything. Then, there on a stack of wooden pallets stored against a retention wall -- I saw some movement. Curled up like a stray cat seeking shelter from the elements, the 6'6" tall homeless man unraveled from his awkward slumber to be greeted by the police.

It's almost a standard sequence of events -- they seek shelter, someone complains and the police show up.

There has always been the unwritten protocol -- you run them for warrants, ask them the redundant question -- what are you doing here? Them you kick' em down the road.

The difference now, of course, when compared to the past is the outcome of the encounter.

We did get Jeffrey, the homeless man, some interim shelter once he realized that he couldn't do it on his own after a few weeks of trying. With every first encounter on the street, the homeless are given my business card along with some parting instructions:

"..the best thing you can do for yourself is stay in touch with me."

They're a little confused at first, with such an offering of help delivered by a uniformed police officer, but the parting message seems to stick. Since most hold on to my name and number and when the reality of life on the streets reaches an unsavory tipping point, they make the phone call.

After getting Jeffrey settled into housing it was the glaring spider-web crack of his prescription lenses that needed fixing first. Things like that break easy when you're sleeping on wooden pallets behind loading docks.

Fortunately, my District I counterpart, Deputy Andrews found Lenscrafters at Brandon Town Center mall that offers prescription replacements for the homeless at no cost. They are a valuable resource -- and soon enough, the gracious staff were more than welcoming with helping Jeffrey. He soon walked out with a free eye exam and fitted with a new replacement pair of prescription glasses.

So, once again, a special thanks to Dr. Winkler and the fine staff at Lenscrafters, Brandon Town Center mall.

Steve

Private Sector Steps Up To The Plate, Again

We all remember Robert, the 24-year-old homeless young man that used to live in a tent behind a church in Town N' Country. It wasn't long after we first discovered Robert camping as a wandering nomad did he get his first sign of relief -- he found a job with a nearby employment agency. Robert saved enough money to rent a small efficiency and is now off the streets.

It's only been a short time since Robert has been off the street, however -- so day-to-day survival is still a struggle. It's not always easy climbing out of a hole and keeping your head above water, particularly when you're trying to do it on your own.

Robert telephoned me August 1st, making a tentative call for assistance -- Robert explained: "I'm going to be short a $100 Dollars for rent this month." We like to follow up on our homeless candidates especially those that have just found their way off the streets; conceding that, once they're into housing we want them to stay there -- even if they need a little boost every now and again.

If I didn't feel Robert was a legitimate case for a little helping hand then I would have nixed his call for relief -- I've had to do it before.

But, in Robert's case I was glad to help.

Looking for a $100 Dollar sponsor, I called the owner of Unique Pest Control, a man I've known for 45-years, Carl Donaldson. The same man that happens to be my dad in as many years. It was a meager investment for someone that's been in business for over 35 years -- but, a sincere gesture of philanthropy nonetheless. I thought that he would be a likely last minute donor following his affirming reaction after reading the story covering the Homeless Initiative in the St Pete Times.

To most of us, $100 Dollars might not deliver the same reaction as when Robert got the word that someone he never met was going to help him out. I think he was mostly surprised that I was able to find someone so quickly that would answer the call for help -- to Robert though, it was a financial windfall.

I know this may not be another story of financial blessing in lotto-sized proportions; but, it is another story of connecting people in need with people who want to help.

A special thanks to my dad for helping out.

Steve

Andy Rios: The 3 Hour Fix

It was the best of cases, it was the worst of cases. It's also an unflattering social parallel where my latest homeless sidekick, Andy Rios, plays the real-life nonfictional protagonist with a virtuous and congenial nature.

In this lateral and contemporary Dickens satire, Rios fell into an abyss -- an 8 month homeless odyssey of life on the street, pushing a shopping cart.

Rios, by all accounts, has a regulated but challenging mental health obstacle. After his mother passed some time ago, he was left to fend for himself in a one bedroom subsidized apartment and he seemed to get by on his own with little help. That was until his one bedroom apartment became disqualified for the rent subsidy which landed him on the street with little notice. For Rios, this predicament is more than just a brain teaser of the crossword solving variety -- it's a debilitating arch villain.

Fortunately for Rios, when you're homeless and on the streets of Tampa a deputy will eventually find you and get you help if you need it -- and, in Rios' case he needed it. After hearing about him in the first email detailing where and how to find him, it was still a few months before I would be able to hunt him down. That's because of his kindred, under the radar demeanor -- he doesn't make waves and isn't the typical source of complaints.

After a co-op of patrol deputies finally unearthed him and alerted me to his location, a quick assessment led to the startling familiarity that he should never have been homeless. He was equipped with his ID card, a monthly disability check, and food stamps -- now he just needed help finding shelter from the anemic fallout of the streets.

As a matter of newly acquired protocol, we don't refer or direct the homeless on where or how to get help -- they get in our back seat and we drive them there. With the homeless initiative in full-swing we know in advance which resources are the most likely to offer the right type of assistance based on their individual circumstances.

When Rios was ultimately snared and evaluated, it wasn't much more than a 3-hour investment in time and resources before we found him a place to stay and shelter from the boulevards and byways of his aimless odyssey of life on the streets.

A special Thanks to Deputy Owen, Deputy Delre, and Deputy Thomas who helped make it happen.

See Andy Rios' story covered by Jeff Butera in the ABC Action News segment posted at the lower end of this blog.

Steve

Homeless Trends: An Applied Social Science Experiment

Consider the last few visits to the grocery store on food shopping day. Of the last five times you went food shopping did you most likely return to the same exact store? For most people the answer is typically: yes! Not a lot of profound theory mixed in with that question but criminologist would explain that all people -- law abiding, those with criminal minds and even the homeless follow daily and weekly traveling rituals called activity patterns.

If you should take three locations to include where you work, where you live, and where you recreate -- they form a geographical pattern, or triangle, called an activity space. Crime analyst use the concept of crime pattern theory to piece together offenders with their offending patterns to distinguish between how offenders search for crime and when they find it by accident.

Those both curious and confused often ask how I manage to track the entire homeless population for north west Hillsborugh county.

The answer is deceptively simple.

If the chronically homeless population don't work, don't have a home they travel to after work and don't generally recreate -- do they have an identifiable activity pattern?

The answer is: yes

But, instead of a triangular activity pattern, the bulk of the population, have a most definite linear geographical traveling ritual up and down the same heavily traveled thoroughfare of Hillsborough Ave.

Human behaviorism explains that when you travel on vacation and look for the ketchup aisle in the unfamiliar layout of your first visit to a different grocery store, you may grow frustrated trying to find the desired condiment shelf in a super mega-store. The homeless are no different as they return to the same watering holes where they know a Lutheran church will feed them at a specific time, location and manner, at the sounding of a 3 o'clock church bell.

An activity pattern would govern a rule of behavior that we have grown accustom to and are most comfortable with, knowing that the owner of the Latin Mini-Mart is more lenient with the homeless loitering behind their store than a neighboring 7-11 might be.

The homeless maintain a pattern they are familiar with as a tenet of street survival which most closely accords with quiet enjoyment as strange as that may sound. They are familiar with the rules of the land, both written and unwritten -- when dealing with the police and those that may be unsympathetic to the plight of the homeless.

A more identifiable component of a social science theory would explain the categorized homeless are merely a subculture, of a much larger, more mainstream demographic group. Because within this subset you have your clicks, your charlatans -- even your outliers and outcasts.

And much like their more mainstream brethren they are undeniably social animals that support each other as part of a shared communal reliance that supports an existing homeless continuum. This communal effect, not unique within the homeless population, is the same supportive structure that comforts the needs and desires of every social animal that is part of an identified community -- subcultural or otherwise.

The hot spot map illustration (upper left-hand corner) is an actual density map which tracked 6 months of my engagement with the homeless on the street. The red or darker the color indicates a higher density of homeless when compared to yellow or lower density of homeless. You can see that their activity pattern is, in fact, linear and follows the main corridor of Hillsborough Ave from Benjamin Rd to the east and Sheldon Rd to the west.

This is where I spend eighty percent of my engagement time and illustrates how I manage an entire homeless population with very little effort.

Steve

Geoffrey Beene, Tommy Hilfiger, Bob Coates Help With Initiative

You may recognize Beene and Hilfiger as premium styled brands of classic American apparel. You may not recognize Bob Coates -- a classic American humanitarian. Coates hunted me down on Facebook after reading the St. Pete Times story covering the Homeless Initiative -- after friending me, he made a generous offer of two Televisions and three bags of barley used mens clothing.

I rarely pass out such offerings to my homeless candidates until they get off the streets; because, I want them to be uncomfortable, not cozy in a cardboard box shaped like a house. But when Coates extended the offer I'd figure I could do some olive branching with those still homeless but cooperating with the initiative.

It wasn't until I opened the first bag of clothing did I realize how generous a man Coates apparently is, since most everything was named brand and barely used. He also offered two televisions even though I was only able to take one; I already know who will be the likely recipient -- a young man who just recently found an apartment and got off the streets.

So, a special thanks to Bob Coates -- a true humanitarian and discriminating aficionado of fine mens clothing.

"Big Baritone Dave" He Sings Different Tune Now

When your on the streets it's not long before you are bestowed a street moniker -- a nick name, of sorts; and in David's relatively short time co-mingling amongst the Town N' Country homeless he was tagged "Big Dave".

I met David after he was referred to me for help by one of my earliest homeless candidates, Albert Swiger. Swiger, still to this day, associates with those that remain homeless and is my walking billboard: "Call Deputy Donaldson, he'll do what he can to get you off the streets." It was Swiger's simple pitch to David who pulled up on his bicycle to meet with me at a Racetrack gas station.

After meeting David for the first time it was his intermediate voice, somewhere between tenor and bass, that grabbed me the most and it landed him with the newly acquired distinction of "Big Baritone Dave."

The polished recast seemed to stick.

David was on the streets for a matter of months instead of years like most that we come across. The street engagement caught him sooner than later and is a testament to the benefits of early detection. The longer a homeless person remains homeless the harder it may be to solve his or her problem.

After a quick assessment of David's needs and circumstances I was confident that he would be a quick fix for recovery.

Our first stop was at Homeless Recovery on Tampa Street where a case worker named "Suzanne" asked about his job experience and working skills.

David has an affable gift of gab, hitched with his low-pitched delivery, making him a natural mouthpiece for persuasion. Within days he had at least one job offer as a telemarketer with a local company which he accepted and is still working there today.

He found a place to stay on his own and has been off the streets ever since -- just days after our first meeting. He didn't have a big problem to solve he just needed a little help in the right direction.

Red Cap Plumbing And Homeless Initiative Get Another One Off The Streets

After a year of working with Steven Venus, a Town N' Country homeless man, he finally came up with a solution that would reconnect him with a support system -- his family in Sparta, Illinois. Steven told me: "If you can get me a Bus ticket, my step-dad is anxious to take me in and get me back on my feet." After speaking directly with Steven's step-father in Sparta my next call was to John Gennaro, founder and President of Red Cap Plumbing.

After I explained the game plan to Gennaro he didn't think twice about getting on-line and booking a bus pass for Steven so he can return to his family where he will get the much needed help. "It's a small investment for a substantial return," Gennaro said. "A substantial return for Steven and a substantial return for our community."

He challenges other private sector businesses to do the same thing to help turn our communties around.

"It's the right thing to do," said Gennaro.



Steven's Story:

He wasn't the most likely of candidates to become successful and rehabilitate from his years of living on the streets. But, Steven Venus would soon learn that he couldn't escape from the grasp of the Sheriff's Office either. After months of working with Venus and his aversion with the police and conformity all together, he finally came around. A few months back I got a call from Steven, he left a message for me, it read: "I'm ready to get off the streets."

We entered him into the Salvation Army's ARC program for men and for over four months he was dry, happy, and 20 lbs heavier than when living on the street.

I thought we had hit a home run until reality set in -- and Steven fell off the wagon. I received the first phone call from Steven as a "matter of respect," he said. "I wanted you to hear it from me first -- that I failed ...and I'm sorry...but I tried," Steven told me over the phone.

I wasn't mad or even upset because I knew Steven still felt accountable to me and there was still enough flicker in the flame to work with him and that's what we did. We don't give up on people just because they fail, we stay on them until we wear them down enough for them to submit.

Steven decided he was ready to try it again but this time he would have to come up with his own problem-solving answer. We talked about his family in Sparta, Illinois and that he needed a support structure to be successful. It was his idea, the homeless initiative just made it happen!

A special Thanks to John Gennaro and Red Cap Plumbing with helping us get another homeless person off the streets.


Steve

Brandon Deputy Joins Homeless Initiative

District II Deputy Brad Clayton works with a homeless Vet on the street in Brandon. Within moments of the encounter Deputy Clayton contacted the Veteran's Administrations homeless coordinator and connected the man with services to get him off the street.

In a short period of time since the introduction of the Homeless Initiative in the Brandon area of District II, Deputy Clayton has quickly embraced the tenets of initiative's working model. Since he volunteered for the effort he shows a more genuine enthusiasm and motivation to seek out his own problem solving answers when challenged with helping the homeless on their turf.

"Yeah, I can definitely see how this will work and maybe why things haven't worked as well in the past" Clayton said. Keep up the good work in Brandon Deputy Clayton!

Sheriff's Office Homless Initiatives Expands to Brandon

The Homeless Initiative expands to Brandon. Hours after Deputy Clayton discovers a homeless man wandering the streets of a rural community, he holds his on-line request to receive his NC birth certificate, the much needed document for a state ID card. What has previously taken weeks and months was reduced to mere hours. "With an ID card I can now apply for work." The homeless man told us. Deputy Clayton even found a sponsor that funded the $25 Dollar cost! "We connect people with problems, to people with answers and want to help." Deputy Clayton said. After working on the Homeless Initiative his first full day on the street he said, " Yeah, I can definitely see how this will work and maybe why things haven't worked as well in the past." Keep up the good work in Brandon Deputy Clayton!

Hillsborough deputy helps homeless people with firm hand, big heart - St. Petersburg Times

Hillsborough deputy helps homeless people with firm hand, big heart - St. Petersburg Times

Hillsborough tries new homeless plan - Topix

Hillsborough tries new homeless plan - Topix

Hillsborough tries ‘unconventional’ homeless tactic

Hillsborough tries ‘unconventional’ homeless tactic

Robert : He Solved the Problem Himself - With Just A little Help

Robert is our latest success story with the District III Homeless Initiative. A 24 year-old young man that we found living in a tent in the woods off of Kelly Road in our zone. I'm proud of Robert for his personal fight to get off the streets - he just needed a little boost to focus on his priorities and to solve the problem himself ... No tax payer money or government assistance was used in solving his residential instability. He was able to find a job, scrape together enough money to rent a nice studio apartment and now is on the road to recovery. Job well done Robert!

He is another fine example of how we can solve these problems simply by law enforcement engaging the homeless instead of simply arresting them.

Robert told me today, "I don't want to be homeless and I never wanted to live on the streets ... I don't want to go back!" he said.

Even though he's moving forward, survival every day is a struggle but he's not the type to give up. He has saved-up his rent for the month from his new job that cut back on his hours recently. He showed me his electric bill which he thought was a little high for a studio apartment. He might be a little short with paying the eighty dollars but he's not the type to complain either.

If you can help out in anyway, let me know. 5 bucks here and 10 bucks there adds up quickly and I'll be sure that he gets all of it. Thanks for every ones help with the homeless initiative. As of today we have fifty-two successful candidates off the streets and into housing!

I am now working full-time on this initiative and speak at others districts to start the program in other areas of the county. Soon enough I truly believe that this will become a national model but it takes the support and backing of the citizenry that demands a different approach from policy makers to simply get the job done!

Deputy Steven Donaldson

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

District III

Office: (813) 247-0330

Email:  sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us

Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs

Jay Berman: "Mayor of Town N' Country"

It was a mid-afternoon last week when the office phone rang. I picked up the receiver to hear an overly-anticipated graveled voice.

"Deputy Donaldson!" "Deputy Donaldson!"

I didn't have to ask - I knew it was Jay.

"I found a place - I'm off the streets. I did it for you!" Jay yelled.

When you live on the streets as a homeless person your fellow brethren know you only by a moniker that is your street name. Jay has been dubbed by others: "The Mayor of Town N' Country". I've come to realize that everyone knows your label except the person who wears its tag. Sometimes it's a term of endearment but most times its bestowed as a sharp ironical taunt. Life out on the streets isn't much different than every day water cooler conversations on matters both controversial and jaded. As the haggard card that's been weathered by the years Jay certainly proves the contradiction in jest.

Jay has become an affectionate soul however, to the same mortal entity that's been kicking him to the curb for as long as he's been Mayor of Town N' Country. He often stops deputies on the street just to praise me and to tell them that I'm his best friend. Early on, I wasn't placing much of a bet on Jay's rehabilitation from the street with his hypnotic fascination with the golden glow of Steele Reserve. The preferred brand of high gravity lager -- they know how to get the most bang for their cardboard flying bucks.

Almost a year ago Jay responded to the substation where a case manager was scheduled to pre-screen any homeless person who, maybe wanted to get off the street. It was on this day that Jay applied for disability benefits and health care for his lingering back injury. It wasn't much time later that he received both and for this he apparently feels an indebtedness that he can only repay in gratitude.

But the engagement on the street doesn't stop there if the initiative is to produce a quantifiable success in numbers. Because for Jay to repay his indebtedness to me he is persistently reminded with the bull dog presence of a bad-debt collector that he must get off the streets.

So I am proud to say that as of last week Jay has brought his account current and he has faithfully repaid his debt. You would be surprised to know that Jay receives less than four-hundred dollars a month in disability benefits. But, at this meager rung of the socio-economic ladder it's a much watered down life style where two-hundred dollars a month will buy him a room from a friend to the homeless and shelter from the ashen consequences of life out on the street.

For me, I am a dissenter against getting something for nothing because as the human condition has proven you will only return to the well for more until the well runs dry. If it is true that you reap what you sow, then Jay most likely hasn't been doing much, if any, sowing in his time. He might not have ever paid into a system that was designed to benefit those that do. However, in exchange for the four-hundred dollar benefit the community, county resources and the indigent health care system will undoubtedly be the benefactor in a diffusion of untold benefits.

Like I have said before, I can stay true to my principles or I can solve the problem. I choose to solve the problem because I can't do both.

Thank you.

Steve

District III Homeless Initiative on ABC Action News

Sometimes milestones appear with little notice and in the least suspecting ways. They could be announced at a time where significance is less than glaring; other times it's a clarion call that is abundantly profound. You either have to look for them to know they are there or it just smacks you in the face leaving you wondering what just happened. It can come from perhaps a broad swath of a cultivated entrepreneurial endeavor, a personal awakening, or an enlighten state of mind.

Regardless of how these milestones present themselves they need to be recognized to measure early indicators of forward movement; and if you fail to recognize them how will you know you are on the right track?

From nothing more than a mustard seed of an idea, this month will mark the first complete year since the District III Homeless Initiative started on June 18, 2010. If you were to infer that its success was derived from nothing more than blind luck, I couldn't very well disagree.

And from its humble beginnings I can be repeatedly quoted as saying, I wasn't interested in merely kicking the can down the road to present an illusion of a superficial campaign. And, from this same beginning I can safely say we were only interested in quantifiable numbers, actually getting people off the streets -- not trite platitudes and bumper sticker slogans.

More often than not I have been affectionately type-cast as a do-gooder or maybe the patron Saint for the homeless. But, the reality is something much different, those that know would say these tags are the furthest thing from the truth. Since, to make this initiative work homeless candidates must have some skin in the game for the game to work. They must be held accountable for their dislocation and lack of personal assimilation with mainstream societal responsibilities. For all members of a civilized society to properly and peacefully coexist there is a shared responsibility, a standard that we should all be held to that doesn't degrade the quality of life for its members.

Everyone has a right to live how they see fit until it reaches a degrading tipping point. And that point is reached when the consequences of social harm manifestly overflows and tears at the fabric of the community.

So, if I am not a good Samaritan what am I and those that participate with the initiative? We prefer to frame this initiative as more of a problem solving venture than a humanitarian effort. It is much easier to understand the method behind the madness of a problem-solving philosophy if we were to first understand that there is always a root cause to that which provokes the ills of society. Panhandling for example, is a mere symptom of a much greater and deeply rooted problem. If we attempt to tackle panhandling by itself or worse contribute to those that claim street corners as their right to fly a cardboard sign then we have overlooked the more relevant underlying causation which is undeniably homelessness.

What may be seen by some as a design flaw in the root-causation approach to problem-solving is the size and scope of the problem might be too overwhelming for it to be solved. If we were to accept this then we're left with a disparaging essay on our faith in humanity and ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

I've learned a lot in the last year having walked the walk of homeless rehabilitation and the journey is one that breeds despair for many even those with a sincere desire to get off the streets. Problems that exist on the street are fundamentally solved on the street by those that are closest to the problem not by those in a boardroom. There appears to be those charlatans who are at the top of a centralized model,a bureaucratic hierarchy, that administers academic theory and political discourse but yet they would freely admit having never spent the time to speak with a homeless person much less understand what makes them tick. These policy makers are the furthest away from the problem and at the same time furthest away from the street.

Prior to June of 2010, there was never a street engagement model that forms a coupling around each homeless candidate. This coupling effect is delivered by a single law enforcement officer for each district within the county. Its a simple cost/benefit analysis of time and resources expended by a law enforcement agency when compared to the cost and lack of benefit of not engaging these same people even if we have to do it ourselves.

It's a simple business decision.

Consider the most prolific homeless person in District III has been arrested seventy-two times -- how many times will we have to arrest him before we realize the cost of county resources after seventy-two arrests has never produced a singular benefit. If we were a private sector business that would have to survive based on productivity and efficiency we would have found a way to get this one example off the street years ago -- at all cost. And beyond the expense of county resources how much disruption and mayhem has this one person stirred up in the community in as many years?

The engagement process on the street should be mutual and reciprocal not asymmetrical or lopsided to one side. To understand the human condition is to accept that individually we are not perfect creatures. Anyone of us under the right conditions when given something for nothing, when not held accountable, will simply demand more for nothing in return. This is the fatal flaw in a system where there is no return on a capital investment and no repayment of indebtedness. It's a free-for-all when there are seemingly unlimited resources from a well that will never run dry.

Unfortunately, as we all now know reality is sometimes quite different.

This should be seen as less of a political leaning than a factoid of human nature.

On Friday, June 24th, a reporter named Jessica with the St. Pete Times spent over five hours with me on the street as she witnessed the engagement process in motion.

This might be either the smack in the face or a lesser suspecting encounter as an outsider's third-party perspective translates the homeless initiative into words for readers to make sense out of.

Admittedly she was overwhelmed, she said -- and I took this early sentiment as the wow factor I was looking for to capture a much broader appeal to a divergent critical mass of potential viewers.

But we will see how the written story plays out in Times Fourth of July weekend edition. And incidentally, look for a similar news story featured on ABC Action News Monday June 27th and tell me what you think.

Homeless Man Saves US Flag FNC

Commissioner Kevin Beckner Commends Deputy Steven Donaldson