HelpCopsHelpUs: Homeless Recovery Speed Record Weighs-In at One Hour

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Homeless Recovery Speed Record Weighs-In at One Hour

It was an unseasonably cold Spring evening in Tampa Monday night when Tampa Police Homeless Recovery Officer Dan McDonald and myself doubled-up to tackle some of the inner cities most prolific homeless hotspots.

An asphalt parking lot across from a YMCA building at Franklin Street just north of downtown Tampa became the imagery of a stateless and makeshift refugee camp for a dozen or so homeless men and women.

This is where we found Carolyn, a 46-year-old African American women, bundled under the protection of a patchwork comforter.

I watched as Officer McDonald approached Carolyn as she peeked in a furtive glance as uniformed officers approach -- seemingly to meddle in her chosen place of rest for the evening.

McDonald's formal introduction is followed by a couple of quick qualifying questions:

"What is your situation?" and

"Do you want our help?"

Carolyn responds with some limitations that make her answers difficult to understand; but, we soon learn she was banished into a month of homelessness following classic family entanglements with her sister and designated disability payee.

This is enough information that leads McDonald into the right direction for the quick-fix that will help Carolyn get back home and off the cold parking lot asphalt. It usually starts with a phone call and some implied leverage. In this case, McDonald calls Carolyn's sister -- it was her home where she recently lived near the University area just a few weeks earlier.

After a brief conversation with McDonald, Carolyn's sister graciously becomes accommodating -- and some willful culpability can be smoothed over by inviting her sister back into the home.

Within the hour Carolyn is in transport back to her home joined by McDonald with some parting reassurance and a business card.

McDonald's parting words to Carolyn: "If this should happen again, give your Homeless Recovery Team a call - We'll help you out."

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

Welcome to Help Cops Help Us: A Homeless Initiative Blog

The Help Cops Help Us homeless initiative is a new problem-solving model centered on the root causes of homelessness. Its philosophy rests on the fundamental human principle that people, all people, will succumb to the human trait of inevitable behavior until intrigued or compelled to act differently.

The uniformed law enforcement officer is the epicenter of the street engagement model that uses a "coupling" technique, motivating each homeless candidate that becomes accountable to a singular and persistent mortal entity -- a street cop.

The coupling effect is a two-pronged approach where candidates who resist assistance and rehabilitation, by default will receive the law enforcement prong when behavior exhibits a callous disregard with laws and a communities desire in maintaining a certain quality of life.

The homeless candidate receives both direct and indirect assistance after a street assessment evaluates their individual needs and problems. We then solve their most basic problems so they may become self-sufficient.

We mend fences, rebuild character, solve their problems, then push them into the water where they are forced to learn how to swim again.

When they are off the streets and into housing we continue to monitor and follow-up until we are certain they have become self sufficient for long term sustainability.