It wasn't too long ago where I met Sean, a homeless man in Tampa, at a cold weather shelter during the month of January. I recall Sean coming to a halt at the entrance of the community center when he apparently recognized me:"You're Deputy Donaldson," he said.
"I'm homeless and live on the streets -- can you help me?"
I have been working with Sean ever since our first meeting and he has grown to become one of my more favored candidates. He has an affable and genuine disposition and you sometimes wonder with such a good-natured persona how long could he have been on the streets before someone stopped and helped.
As a 31-year-old man Sean has never maintained a full-time job or really learned how to drive. He explained to me later he taught himself to read as an adult using Hooked-On-Phonics. It's a startling revelation until you come to realize things like this run a muck at an early age when life skills are taught and learned.
Absent a mentoring kinship, your outcome in life is simply a crapshoot but what Sean has proven to me is his genuine desire to overcome the obstacles from his past.
And, this is why he is such a good candidate for success.
Today, Sean proudly displayed his newly acquired Florida driver's license. He has been without a permit to drive for a number of years. Within the same week he started working at our most recent Mobile Auto Repair sales location on West Hillsborough Ave.
Within a two-week period he has overcome two of his greatest obstacles that have been nagging in the back ground most of his adult life.
I try to never assume I know the cause for the sudden spark of motivation and change in direction after years of tepid and constrained forward movement; so I asked Sean to explain it to me.
Sean calls it "front-seat" therapy --
"When I'm riding with you in the front seat of your patrol car and your helping me out -- it's like therapy to me," Sean said. "Even though I'm not getting off the streets today and I'm not getting a job today I feel better knowing that at least I'm doing something and I'm not sitting in a homeless camp or the library all day long -- and that's what motivates me."
After asking the critical question Sean has helped us sharpen our skills on the street with our homeless recovery niche.
We have always learned from our homeless recovery clients simply because we ask them what works or what doesn't work -- and then we spend the time to listen.
Keep up the great work Sean!
Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
District III Office: (813) 247-0330
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs
No comments:
Post a Comment