The Homeless trade sweat equity for a place to live

EDITOR'S NOTE: A version of this story appeared in Tribune community sections this week.

 By GEORGE WILKENS | 
 The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 30, 2012
 
Russ Lester III, who lived on the streets of Town 'N Country for two and a half years, is back on his feet, employed, paying rent, "doing OK."

Solving the homeless problem is simple, Lester says only half-jokingly: Get the homeless into homes.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputy Steven Donaldson, who found Lester a home, might not agree it's so simple. 

Donaldson heads the department's homeless initiative launched in Town 'N Country in June 2010. The inventive, multifaceted program combines the veteran deputy's street smarts and community contacts with help from enterprising landlords, corporate grants and faith-based groups. 

Albert Swiger, 45, the initiative's first client, is its poster child, said Donaldson. "When I met Albert two years ago he was flying a sign at the corner of Veterans Expressway and Hillsborough Avenue," asking for money.

A former commercial fisherman and construction worker, Swiger said he was homeless for five or more years, often living in a tent in the woods. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he got an apartment, with federal money paying his rent.

"At the end of the year he was back on the street and back in my lap because the grant ran out," Donaldson said. "There were no relearned skills; he basically received an entitlement with the 2009 stimulus package."

* * * * *   Last fall, after addressing the men's group at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, Donaldson was approached by Greg Gingeleski, who attended the meeting of the group that serves Saturday breakfast to homeless people, with a side order of scripture.

Gingeleski, 40, owns four Old Memorial Highway rental homes, small-frame structures left in dilapidated condition by evicted tenants. Before meeting Donaldson, "I was at the point of demolishing the homes," he said.

The pair devised a plan allowing handpicked homeless people to live in the houses rent-free while making repairs. More than 80 percent of the homeless have construction skills, Donaldson has learned.

"That's basically what the exchange is. They have to have skin in the game; they can't get something for nothing," he said. "Everybody's a winner, if you think about it."

The homeless person gets a place to live; the owner gains improvements to a now-livable structure occupied by a paying tenant. Blight is eliminated.

The rent-free period lasts for as much as a year and provides time for the occupant to become self-sufficient. "They are accountable to me, and I follow up," said Donaldson, a de facto landlord who oversees renovations. "It takes a helping hand, and it takes a heavy hand, sometimes."

* * * * *   The initiative has attracted assistance from others. 

Noble Ministries in Land O' Lakes stepped up to provide support services, including homeowner recruitment and grant application assistance. The ministry is headed by Ali Noble and her husband, Jay, a former deputy who once worked with Donaldson.

The Home Depot provided a $5,000 grant, with another $700 from a vendor, Glidden Paint. Team Depot, the Atlanta-based company's volunteer arm of employees, scheduled a workday, providing tools and labor for what became Swiger's residence.

After clearing the house of vermin and mounds of trash, Swiger moved in. Two months later he was paying rent, earnings from the handyman business he started and income from his full-time job with Gingeleski's Great Danes Landscaping.

Lester learned of the program through Swiger and is now his neighbor. He, too, works for the property owner's company, maintaining and repairing landscaping equipment and also doing side jobs.

Swiger and Lester both cite drugs as a major contributor to their downfalls. 

"I'm doing OK," Lester, a former ironworker, said as he sat on his screened front porch with his recently acquired 6-month-old mixed-breed dog, Althea. The 57-year-old earns enough to pay for his $550 rent, plus electricity, telephone and cable TV. He is making payments on his 1992 Chevy pickup.

* * * * *   Gingeleski is pleased with the program that provides tenants who, as workers, also are assets to his company.

"I'm trying to develop these gentlemen into leaders of the community, eventually," he said. "I'm not going to give anybody a handout that doesn't help themselves. These gentlemen want to help themselves, and that's the biggest thing. You help yourself, I'll help you."

Swiger turned to burglary and other property crimes to fuel his drug habit, resulting in felony arrests that rendered him virtually unemployable. A January 2009 drug conviction led to him kicking his pain-pill addiction, he said. He looks forward to when he can answer "no" to an important job application question: "Have you had a felony conviction in the last five years?" 

"People still judge me according to my past, but it's not who I am today," Swiger said. "Today I'm a different person."

Later this month, Tampa will host the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney will accept his party's nomination and fifteen thousand credentialed media will swarm the city.

In this week's issue of Huffington, Saki Knafo spotlights a Tampa most of the media will not see during their stay. Hillsborough County, which surrounds Tampa, has 60 homeless people for every 10,000 residents -- more homeless per capita than any other American city or county. As a result, Tampa has become a kind of civic laboratory, with citizens, police, and government grappling with all the problems that accompany homelessness.

Saki Knafo introduces us to several of Tampa's homeless, as well as those who seek innovative solutions to their predicament. Among the latter is Steve Donaldson, a Hillsborough County Sherriff's Department deputy with a lifelong passion for problem solving (it began with a childhood fascination with Donald Trump and evolved into a respect for unconventional thinkers like Malcolm Gladwell). In his first decade with the department, Donaldson was repulsed by what he encountered out on the beat: the drug addicts and derelicts who seemed beyond help. But then, something changed in the way he saw Tampa's homeless, and in the way he went about his daily work. Since then, as Knafo puts it, Donaldson has been "on a mission to convince police and ordinary civilians alike that the answer to the homeless problem lies not in arrests and jail but in something far more subtle, the relationship between a single homeless person and a cop."

Since 2010, Donaldson has helped get more than 100 people off the streets -- including Albert Swiger, who with Donaldson's help traded a life of crime, and more than 200 arrests, for home ownership, a job and a girlfriend. Donaldson has done this by looking to both the public and private sectors. Many homeless people are unaware that they qualify for benefits, and part of Donaldson's relationship with his "clients," as he calls them, is making sure they understand what they're entitled to. He's also tapped his contacts in real estate, convincing property owners to let his clients work on abandoned homes in exchange for staying in them.

As the Republican convention approaches and all eyes turn to Tampa, Saki Knafo puts flesh and blood on the homelessness crisis, and gets an answer from Donaldson about what changed his perception of the homeless: it was the realization that he had "more in common with them than I would like to think."

Full story at the Huffington Post:

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/10/tampas-maverick-cop_n_1765365.html

Full Color Magazine Story on Google Docs:
 https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7WHQhwO0vc_SzR4Y2Q2THoyYTg/edit

(Highlight Link Then Right Click Open In New Tab)

Noble Ministries partners with Help Cops Help Us team to fulfill collaborative mission

Tampa - Story by Brent Donaldson

 

More than ten years ago retired Deputy Jay Noble joined the ranks of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. It was during his tenure where he began his career like most, as a beat cop on the streets of Tampa responding often to the same complaints about the same people with the same problems. 

"It's a never ending cycle of distress that rarely seeks a resolution," says Noble.

More recently, Noble made a decisive move in the direction of personal fulfillment to answer his life's calling as he describes it. He retired from his decade of law enforcement to launch Noble Ministries with his ministry partner and wife "Ali" Noble.

Like Jay Noble his wife Ali comes from a regimented corporate-styled infrastructure where she gave up the trappings of a secure salary along with the allure of benefits. It was their shared passion and a mutual desire to fulfill a common mission that made her move from the corporate world easy. "Helping those in our community solve their problems so they may become self-reliant," Ali said, was a primary focus of their mission.  

While Jay Noble worked on the streets of north west Hillsborough County he was moved by the works of a fellow co-worker. It was the street engagement of Help Cops Help Us founder Steven Donaldson interacting with the homeless in their camps and on their own turf he thought was not only compelling but complimentary to his own mission. 

And soon enough while forming his own ministries' street engagement model, he reached out to Donaldson with an offer of mutual collaboration and assistance. "It's almost a natural order of events," Donaldson says. "Those that share a common goal tend to gravitate and work together for a greater benefit and result."

With combining the works of both secular and faith-based brands street engagement law enforcement specialists will be augmented by Noble Ministries' behind-the-scenes supportive services. The ministry has a particular interest with the Help Cops Help Us rehousing model where deed-holders donate the use of their vacant and sometimes ramshackled single-family cottage-sized homes. In exchange for living in the home selected homeless candidates work on renovations with the aid of private-sector donations.

"It's about building relationships with those we are trying to help," says Ali Noble. "We want to work one-on-one with them to help them solve their own problems."

"We're teaching people how to fish," Donaldson added. "Personally, I don't give anything away without getting something in return and that usually amounts to helping people retool their problem-solving skills to become more self-sufficient -- that's what works."  

Noble Ministries as an independent partner has an established 501(c)(3) non-profit designation and like many Help Cops Help Us partners they fulfill their mission through outreach with personal donations by the many that share their vision.

"Something as simple as a bus pass or work boots goes a long way," says Ali Noble. We work hand-in-glove with employment assistance and sometimes that means transportation to a job interview. She added, "Once we have past this hurdle often they need something like work accessories too and these donations are dedicated to our personal investments in people not corporate infrastructure."

It was explained as a profound example of mutually complimenting cooperatives between, public, private, and  faith-based partners to solve a communities' most lingering problems associated with personal distress and homelessness.

This was what Jay Noble had in mind on a certain faithful day when he turned in his formal resignation from law enforcement duty to his commanding officer. Jay explained, "I didn't expect everyone to understand my motivation leaving a job like the Sheriff's Office, but sometimes you have to accept the yearning that comes from free will and take the final leap of faith."

"I'm glad I did it," Jay said gleefully!

  

Like a good neighbor State Farm agent Pam Williams was there

Pam Williams (center) State Farm Insurance

Tampa - By Steven L Donaldson

Homeless recovery is about solving someone's problems. And, problem solving, in a time of limited resources and cut backs, is about being resourceful.

For those on the streets recovery is sometimes a dicey game of mental fitness and critical thinking skills. But, the most redeeming personal quality for those experiencing the hardship of individual consequence is simply asking for help.

That's what Michael DeMary did after an ill-conceived plan with relocating to Tampa landed him homeless and depending on the Salvation Army for his shelter.

Following a word-of-mouth referral we soon met up to talk about his situation and devise a plan to remedy his problem. It was during the initial assessment interview where DeMary sat in my front passenger seat and I started with the probing questions.

I never finished the interview.

For someone like DeMary his problem-solving answer didn't need the deep tissue rub it often takes to get to his kernel of truth -- the essence of every first encounter. After being homeless in Tampa for just over a month, DeMary's most direct route off the streets would be returning home to Rochester, New York where he has family and a support structure.

It's a simple answer with a more complicated follow-through although -- since homeless resources don't cover tickets home for any mode of transportation, we have to be more creative.

DeMary gives a thumbs-up at Tampa International

Pamela Williams has been my State Farm insurance agent for more than fifteen years and my next likely sponsor sharing with her the opportunity to help a neighbor in need. I met up with Williams at her Town N' Country office and delivered my best homeless recovery pitch which met with a head nod and an affirming grin.

"I'd be more than happy to help out," Williams said.

Soon enough her husband and fellow business partner, John Williams, jumps on a travel search engine and DeMary is one TSA pat-down away from returning home to family on a US Airways flight leaving  6:00 am the following morning.

There is little time to waste and I hunt DeMary down at a homeless shelter check-in they call "The Shop" and greet him with the good news. Michael's response after hearing his flight would be leaving in less than twelve hours:

"Take me to the airport now, I'll sleep there overnight -- I'm not going to miss that plane!"

And with another homeless soul off the streets of Hillsborough County a big Thanks goes out to Pam Williams -- my Town N' Country State Farm insurance agent.

Thanks Pam and John for being good neighbors and for being there for those in need.

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-033
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs 

HelpCopsHelpUs.org

Two years later homelessness becomes a distant memory

 Tampa - By Steven L Donaldson

For over ten years Christopher Wall learned to survive on the streets as a homeless man. He learned where to huddle at night -- camouflaged from the camp raiders that would invade and pillage. He learned how to posture himself in his wheel chair -- all in the hopes a fleeting passerby would toss a few shekels his way. And, he also learned how to hide from the police when he could.

He was good at it too.

 

During the last few years of his homeless journey he called a convenience store dumpster-corral his home. A narrow easement nuzzled between the corral and a perimeter fence-line obscured his slumbering shelter from prying eyes while affording him a sense of security.

At the end of his day he maneuvered his wheel chair flush against the cardboard liner that matted down the weeds and insulated him from the dampened earth. Each time it became a tactical exercise that came across as a sloppy transfer of motion from sitting to resting -- it rarely ended without a thump. It would be his bed for the evening and his place for solace and refuge. 

The next day it would start all over again.    

But, survival on the streets as a minimalist always leads, even for the most prolific of homeless, to the very last rung of the ladder. You're one slip away from a downward spiral into the relentless pursuit of a zero sum game where there is never a winner -- just marginal survivors.

For much of these last few years as a homeless man bound to a wheelchair his lukewarm existence could only be defined by the perpetual motion of trifle loitering. And, it was this same loitering that one day would lead him in a direction that he could have never been prepared for.

The long arm of the law is now more than just an expression of enforcement and compliance -- it is also the beacon for homeless recovery and rehabilitation should you find yourself aimlessly homeless on the streets of Hillsborough County.

It was a faithful trespassing complaint from a Town N' Country business that first led to my encounter with Wall -- the six-foot-six frame of his former self reduced to the shrunken and disheveled imagery of a homeless persona. Tattered and unkempt would only begin to describe his overgrown appearance.

But, for Wall where his body became listless his soul remained animated. He always maintained his spirits -- and, if not for this sometimes deceptively simple survival skill it's hard to say where Wall may have ended up today.

Since this time Wall has successfully remained off the streets living in a group home environment where he praises the blessing of three squares a day. With the companion of a walking cane Wall now leaves his wheel chair beyond arms reach -- sometimes for remembrance and other times for trips to the nearby convenience store.

His body and mind has since repaired to catch up with his congenial soul.

On occasion Wall will use the house phone to leave a message for me at the district office just to say hello and stay in touch. After two years of pink messages they are usually dictated in much the same way:

 " I called just to say Hi  -- and things are going well, you don't have to call back -- I just wanted you to know I'm still off the streets ...Chris."

Early on many dissenters bemoaned the conventional wisdom: "...the homeless don't want help to get off the street."

When the homeless gleefully accepted the help these same dissenters repurposed their angle of attack: "Yeah, their off the streets -- but for how long?"

Now, more than two years later, Christopher Wall and many former homeless men and women in Hillsborough County have proved what was once conventional wisdom may have been more an old wives' tale.

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-033
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs 

HelpCopsHelpUs.org

People behind the scenes: Writer, contributor joins homeless blog

Brent Donaldson joins blog as contributing writer

 Tampa - By Brent Donaldson

It started with a meeting at a Starbucks coffeehouse. I was seated in the corner by myself as I sipped iced coffee from a plastic straw and randomly checked the time on my iPod. The room was filled with the stimulating scent of Arabica beans and Espresso foam mixed with the chatter of young voices -- And, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop while I waited for 10:00 am to arrive.

Around me, the many conversations touched on the looming hangovers that would soon follow summer break, and who was doubling-up on classes and who was dropping out. But, suddenly -- an abrupt silence came over the room. I looked up just in time to see the cause of their quiet disruption pulling up into the busy parking lot, its reflection in the gloss of a nearby window pane caught my eye.

“To Serve and Protect”, read the reflected words as they slowed to a stop. I stood up and walked in the direction of the door.

“One more drink, "a cappuccino, please.” I called to the barista with a wave of my hand. “Well, great” I thought to myself with a laugh, “Now everyone knows the cop is with me.”

However, after maybe ten minutes had passed, something incredible happened. We sat there together, both of our reading glasses donned as we feverishly scribbled one note after the other -- together our heads were pitching ideas faster than our hands could write them down. Neither of us had expected the meeting to go this well.

 “Another coffee, Miss. Make this one black.”

We bounced ideas back and forth, with each round they became more refined, potent, and more effective. We discussed, amongst other things, how to promote the Homeless Initiative, “You see, Dad …,” I started with my most patronizing tone, “there is this thing called the Internet.” He rolled his eyes and we shared a laugh. Little did we know, however, that by the end of the next day a featured blog video would attract a respectable viral audience of more than five-thousand hits in the course of a just few hours. For a father and son duo we made a pretty good team with our first marketing release.

But ultimately, I am writing this introduction to acquaint myself with the many of you who support, contribute and follow the works of the Homeless Initiative. Those who have been here since almost its inception -- pouring every last drop of your time and resources into this idea my father had -- an idea we all now share together. To the many devoted who have worked tirelessly, writing checks and lifting shovels, to make our community better in every sense of the word. And, if I may say, it is an incredible honor to be allowed to join you all as a contributor -- and perhaps, even speak on behalf of the many that can’t speak for themselves.

My father, with all of your help, has concocted a truly unique recipe for success. And, now with my help, I hope that we can add just a pinch of youth to that recipe. I am here to be the ying to my father’s yang; a left to my dad’s right. I am here as a contributing writer, and a fresh pair of eyes and ears. I am Brent Donaldson, and I am very pleased to meet you all.

Breaking News:Tampa officer lends hand to homeless

TAMPA --By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 16, 2012 
 

She spends her days on Tampa's streets and her nights beneath bridges or among bushes. Once when she was trying to sleep a spider bit her, causing her leg to swell so much she needed to go to a hospital emergency room.

Gloria Jenkins-Leviston, 45, has been homeless in downtown Tampa for months. She is sick of it. It's rough living on the streets, she said, and she is desperate for shelter.

When she saw Tampa Police Officer Dan McDonald last week near Lykes Gaslight Square Park, close to police headquarters, she smiled and waited for him to notice her.

"Excuse me," she said. "Can you help me?"

Since January, McDonald has served as the police department's first homeless liaison.

Census data, McDonald said, shows about 17,000 people in Hillsborough County are out on the streets, temporarily staying with friends, or living in hotels or motels. His goal is to help those in Tampa who want to be helped.

So far McDonald knows of 15 people he directly or indirectly helped find a place to stay.

"We call it street engagement," McDonald, 46, said of his new job. "We don't wait for them to go to us. We go to them."

McDonald drives to makeshift homeless camps, to parks where homeless people live, to convenience stores where they congregate. Sometimes he helps the homeless connect with out-of-state family members. Sometimes he helps them get proper identification or refers them to social services programs.

Tampa police modeled their program after the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's homeless initiative, which started in Town 'N Country in June 2010. That initiative spread elsewhere in the county as well, including the University Area.

The departments have worked collaboratively and so far have helped more than 100 people get off the streets one way or the other.

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said officers are aware of the area's large homeless population and want to help.

"Homelessness is a societal issue, but obviously law enforcement can't turn a blind eye to it," she said.

                                                                         * * * * *

Jails in part have become places for those with mental illnesses, and that is not beneficial to the inmate or the taxpayer, nor is it a good use of law enforcement time, Castor said.

Through the initiative, she said, "We're helping the individual; we're helping the community by getting them off of the street; helping law enforcement that they don't get in the same circle of helping the same individuals over and over."

Several officers were interviewed for the liaison position. In McDonald, Castor said, police officials saw an interest, an aptitude and a passion for the work.

"It's working out great," she said of the initiative. "Dan McDonald is doing a fantastic job. The word has gotten out on the street."

McDonald, who has spent most of his 14 years of police experience on patrol, said the liaison work is gaining momentum as the tightly knit homeless community is beginning to trust him. Many homeless people believe police officers only want to arrest them, McDonald said, and it is challenging to convince them otherwise.

"One guy actually said to me, 'You pass the test,' " said McDonald, a Manchester, England, native.

Still, some homeless people are openly hostile to McDonald when he approaches. One man had such a poor attitude that "he went to the back of the line," McDonald said. "With 17,000 people out there, I should get to him in about 400 years."

                                                                          * * * * *

The police department's goal isn't to hurry people off the streets in time for next month's Republican National Convention, McDonald said. This is a long-term project designed to offer meaningful help.

One person McDonald helped get off the downtown streets, 46-year-old Dean Sawyers, now has a place to stay and a job with the downtown "Clean Team," which provides maintenance to downtown gutters, sidewalks and public spaces.

"It's better," Sawyers said of his life. "I get better rest, take showers and stuff."

Sawyers, 46, wanted a job but lacked motivation to get one without a push, McDonald said.

"He took me down there, got the application and stuff," Sawyers said.

McDonald also has worked to help Elsie Powell, 59.

Powell has been homeless – off and on – for years. She said she receives about $700 a month in disability pay because of a back injury, but many apartment complexes have turned her down.

It's a difficult life on the streets; some people are violent and steal, Powell said. She said she wants help but many other people like living on the streets and have no use for McDonald.

"He does an excellent job," Powell said of McDonald. "A lot of people don't want his help, but he really does try."

                                                                               * * * * *

 

Jenkins-Leviston wants a place to stay, but she doesn't know which way to go or what to do to get off Tampa's streets.

Her luck has been bad since her husband died of cancer three years ago, she said.

The Mississippi native said she has depression and had a brain tumor removed, and she still has problems associated with that.

After meeting McDonald, she said, she believes in him. She saw him talking with another homeless woman and trying to help, and she wanted his help, too.

McDonald took down Jenkins-Leviston's information and referred her to a homeless recovery program on Tampa Street. He gave her his telephone number and said if she needs a ride to Social Security, he could help.

"I was so happy," she said of meeting McDonald. "Thank God."

People behind the scenes: Master Sergeant Gilbert Sainz

Master Sergeant Gilbert Sainz

 Tampa - By Steven L Donaldson

I'm often asked by those both curious and confused just how the Homeless Initiative ever got started. Well, I certainly didn't wake up one morning with an epiphany thinking I could save the world and all the homeless people in it.

In early 2010, the imagery of homelessness and its consequence of panhandling overflowed into the streets of Hillsborough county. It was a reflection of our communities that left not much more than despair for those witnessing these unkempt streets.

It seemed Town N' Country, a suburb fringed on the county's north west tract, suffered the biggest impact with those flying cardboard signs jockeying for position on every street corner.

Now, more than two years later, the time or place when Master Sergeant Gilbert Sainz delivered my new assignment still escapes me -- but, I remember his delivery like it was yesterday:

 "You know, we need to do something about these panhandlers."

I'm always hoodwinked by his benevolent and mesmerizing management style -- with the good grace of saying "we" -- he had hatched a plan I later realized translated to "me".  Before I picked up on what had just happened he was off to put out his next fire and the wheels were already in motion that would soon plant the seeds for the Homeless Initiative that we have today.

An undertaking as ambitious and  unconventional as the Homeless Initiative doesn't happen successfully without an almost Galactic alignment of the stars. And, it was going to take a mentoring influence like the Master Sergeant working behind the scenes for a lot of it to come together. Soon enough he was connecting me with the right people and the right resources from his years of seasoned experience and his extended social network. Then he patted me on the back -- got out of my way -- and said make it happen! 

Out of the box thinking doesn't come without a sometimes dicey game of risk and reward. And frankly, if you're not taking any risk your not thinking far enough out of the box. And with risk comes some missteps and hiccups -- I made a few. In each of these times of uncertainty the Master Sergeant  never left me abandoned but instead stood behind me and argued in my defense -- even at his own peril.  

Reflecting back over these months some dust has settled and perspective has come into focus. I learned leadership is more about humility and restraint than it is about authority, control or dominance. And, it is these learned lessons that gives virtue to the uniform.  

If I ever had to write a book about the Master Sergeant's engrained talent to lead and manage his troops I would surely plagiarize the title: What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School. Sometimes you just don't know what you don't know until someone like the Master Sergeant shows up to teach you.

Thank you Master Sergeant Gilbert Sainz -- the community, the department you serve, and the more than one-hundred recovered homeless owes you a debt of gratitude.

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-033
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs

 

8 months later a house becomes a home

Before photo of home when it was vacant and sitting in disrepair

Tampa - 

By Steven L Donaldson

Back in December of 2011, an almost forgotten and vacant stock of a wooden structure remained dormant and unoccupied -- broken and blighted it was a distraction for the neighborhood.

Despite this imagery of unhandiness opportunity was lying in wait.

These before and after pictures not only illustrate the transformation of a house to a home -- but, it also proves the housing first model can transform someones life as well
.

The Home now less tha eight months later

Today, less than eight months later the home is a compliment to the neighborhood thanks to the sweat equity of its current occupant Albert Swiger who was given a second chance at reclaiming a former life. 

On this follow-up check-in on a mid afternoon summer visit a freshly mulched planter bed frames the entrance of the homes wooden deck. The green grass is healthy and neatly trimmed and the Crape Myrtles are budding with clusters of crinkled red and white flowers.

Albert has spruced up the landscape and maintains the home

Albert has lived here since early December, has a girlfriend, and is working full time. A stark contrast from a year earlier flying a cardboard sign and living out of a storage locker on Hillsborough Ave.

He has a few people to thank like the homes owner, Greg Gingeleski, who took a chance on not only Albert but on the "Homes of Second Chances" rehousing model.

In August, Albert seemed proud to report, he will start paying Gingeleski market rent. Since, the rehousing model is not an entitlement program -- instead, its recipients get a hand-up at becoming self-sufficient once again with the hopes of one day getting their head above water and pulling their own weight.

And now, less than eight months later on this humid summer afternoon, it has become clear to me and many others that Albert has done just that.

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-0330
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs

Homeless recovery and Horse rescue: A winning strategy

Anthio featured in this clip was homeless in Tampa, Florida before being referred to the Sheriff's Office Homeless Initiative for assistance. After meeting with Anthio for the first time I almost had an immediate housing solution for him when he showed me his prized album of pictures from his earlier show horse training days. He has a passion for horses and it was an obvious collaboration with the horse rescue, Equestrian Inc., who also needed a ranch hand which produced an answer.

Anthio was off the streets at no expense to the tax paying citizenry and the therapy of his reclaimed former life has produced incredible results in a short period of time. We still work with Anthio until we are comfortable that he has become self supportive and independent.

He is a favorite homeless recovery success story and it illustrates the problem-solving collaboration between public and privates sectors.

Good luck Anthio we are all proud of you for your remarkable come back from the streets. 

And, Thanks to Judy at the District III Sheriff's Office and her Husband Arnold ( and the unidentified Cheerleader Dad) for all the donations!

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-0330
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs

People Behind The Scenes: District III CSO Judy Walker

Bryant just minutes before his interview

Tampa - By Steven L Donaldson

Her goodwill typically starts with a hug when she catches me at the office in person before gathering mail and checking for phone messages -- but, on busy days like today her kindness began with a telephone call. It's the same call she has made repeatedly after cleaning out her closets or buying new furniture.   

District III Community Service Officer Judy Walker has been one of my most benevolent supporters, having donated trailers of barley used furniture and mens clothing. Sometimes I've grown concerned that her husband Arnold has anything left to wear -- but Judy assures me not to worry.

On this faithful day, it was a mens' navy blue blazer -- a poly-wool summer blend -- that I was concerned  might not find a fitting recipient from a person in need. Not too many of my homeless clients have had the need for such an endowment but it landed on top of the pile nonetheless. 

Well, Ye of little faith --  

I soon realized I was more naive than I thought. Within hours of loading up Walker's donations a young man named Bryant called for a ride to an important job interview. He's been working hard to get off the streets so I obliged his request to avoid the long bus ride and sweltering summer heat. After jumping into the back seat I couldn't figure out why he had become so giddy --  searching the pile of clothes next to him it was the navy blue blazer of all things that caught his eye. 

Judy Walker donating furniture earlier this year

Minutes before his interview he stepped out of the patrol car to try it on with an almost perfect fit. Somebody was looking out for him I would say, and maybe his completed professional appearance was just the edge he needed to have just a little more confidence to ace the interview. 

So another lesson learned on the streets in the homeless recovery business, you never know who or what is going to connect the dots that might make the difference for someone trying to get off the streets -- like a mens' navy blazer.

Thanks Judy, You're always the best!

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-0330
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs

People behind the scenes: Citizens Patrol Volunteer Angela Liverzani Quartararo

 Tampa - By Steven L Donaldson

Early on, when the Homeless Initiative debuted with its online presence it soon cultivated a cast of immediate followers and devotees to the cause of homeless recovery and successful rehabilitation from the streets.

But, one persistent fan of the law enforcement brand, Angela Liverzani Quartararo, was so adamant and pronounced with her desire she emailed her resume highlighting her years as a Pinellas County social worker with the deep-seeded ambition of becoming part of the mix.  

I couldn't resist her pit bull angle of attack and regular follow-up much longer and finally let her jump on board recently as a volunteer -- my only regret: I should have done it much sooner.

Not too long ago I called Angela at her home office and delivered the first homeless recovery assignment: find me a horse farm that needed a ranch hand. It wasn't an hour later when Angela called back with her first homeless recovery solution for a young man named Anthio, a show horse trainer I had been working with on the streets for a few weeks. It was a successful match pairing him up with a local horse rescue, Equestrian, Inc., all within just a few miles from where me and Anthio stood.

More recently, I had to slide Angela a curve ball -- I stumbled upon a deaf homeless man who had been living out of an abandoned muffler shop on Dale Mabry Highway for a few weeks. After calling upon my usual resources I was at a dead-end and even stumped. I was having trouble getting help for the man and had to rely on Angela to come through for me once again. 

Angela must work well under pressure -- she could hear the stress in my voice as I explained to her that we had an unusual case. The homeless recovery blood hound was dispatched on the phones unearthing sign language interpreters and digging up answers like she was palming  cliff notes under her desk for the final exam.    

I don't know how I thought I could have gotten along without her. So, a big Thank You to my homeless recovery side-kick for all her volunteerism, enthusiasm, and mostly for being part of the Homeless Recovery team.

You're the best!

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-0330
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs

Russell: A Homeless Recovery Update

Tampa - By Steven L Donaldson

It's been more than a year since I first met Russell -- one of our early homeless recovery success stories. 

It's a Sunday morning and already sweltering when I decided to stop by and visit the brat pack: neighbors Albert and Russell and Greg Gingeleski who gave the two former homeless men each a home of second chances.

The two men along with their benefactor and landlord live in a small collection of homes on a rural strip of Town N' Country's west side.  These smaller cottage-sized homes sit among much larger contemporary housing across the street and it seems they have blended in seamlessly with little or no disruption -- In fact, the homes have become a compliment to the neighborhood.

It's been over six months since the Homeless Initiative and the Home Depot Foundation stepped in to help refurbish the homes that would soon lay the ground work for residential recovery -- an investment that would later deliver a substantial return in the name of self-sufficiency for both Albert and Russell.

"I can't believe it was a year ago I was living out of a church bathroom," Russell reminded me during our late morning conversation.

Sweat equity:Russell installed a bamboo flag pole

Since this time Russell has dusted himself off, his bills are paid in advance -- and, now after six month of Gingeleski's benevolence  Russell even pays market rent. It's about assimilating back into a level of normalcy and simply reclaiming a former life. Both men were given this chance with free or reduced rent in exchange for their sweat equity while they repaired the homes.

The most enduring sign of recovery from the streets is Althea, Russell's nine month old Catahoula Leopard dog that he recently made part of his home. When you have a stable life you can begin to acquire things again and pets are a fulfilling form of therapy for someone on a come back like Russell. 

Before I left he delivered the most startling update -- after fifteen years of not owning a car Russell recently purchased a used Chevy S-10 pickup truck and hopes to have his license restored within the next month. 

I always had confidence in our Homes of Second Chances rehousing model but I didn't expect the likes of Greg Gingeleski to bolster its momentum and success in the way he has. It has become a commune of mentorship, personal recovery from the streets, and forward movement for both Albert and Russell and I thank both of these men for making me proud to be a part of their successful come back from the streets.

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-0330
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs

Homeless Lance: A more extreme case for homeless recovery

This video interview was produced by Robert Rashford aka: "Homeless Rob" who used to be homeless in Tampa (Town N Country) where this video was filmed, specifically an abandoned car wash. Rashford since has successfully recovered from the streets through the intervention of the Help Cops Help Us homeless Initiative and is living in Washington State after receiving an employment offer from Boeing aircraft.

Lance is the best example of a disconnected maybe fragmented system that rarely, if ever, addresses these more severe cases -- you're witnessing a video archive, by example, of the most difficult cases for homeless recovery.

The underlying problem: Law enforcement, mental health services, and homeless recovery programs do not have a single cohesive approach to getting Lance -- and others like him -- permanently off the streets. That is until now -- since Lance's most recent incarceration I have worked with both the social services and medical staff at the Hillsborough County Jail along with Lance's private SSI/SSDI attorney to establish benefits. There are logistical obstacles in place with the elusive nature of not only Lance's residential instability but his assumed mental health complications.

I hope we can all agree, incarceration by itself, is the eternal revolving door.

It should be clear that Lance is not doing himself or anyone else any good by remaining on the streets in this sometimes awkward dislocation of societal blight where he has been a repeated and consequential drain on county resources -- particularly a constant drain for law enforcement.

Wish me luck, I'll have to pull out a "MacGyver" to fix this one.

Deputy Steven Donaldson
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Homeless Initiative
District III Office: (813) 247-0330
Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us
Facebook.com/HelpCopsHelpUs