“Hello! Outreach! Anybody here?” Cicely Thornton calls out as Homeless Response Team members approach clusters of tents where people are living.
Following the team members on their visits to camps shed light on several issues both simple and complex that some folks living outside are facing.
Misty Bosch-Hastings, director of the City of Lawrence’s Homeless Solutions Division, invited the Times to attend a resource fair held Tuesday and shadow the Homeless Response Team during their camp visits on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the team consists of Thornton, homeless programs project specialist for the city; Savannah Fergus, with the Lawrence Community Shelter; Dustin Moore, with Artists Helping the Homeless; Josh Klamm, a consultant focused on homeless outreach; and Asher Erickson, with Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.
The members of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical’s Mobile Integrated Health team are off, but the others would take notes on who needs medical help so MIH folks could check in on their next visit.
The HRT members did not give any rules or restrictions on what could or could not be reported, so we followed common sense.
The reporter wore a badge, camera and Lawrence Times T-shirt and carried a notebook to be clearly identifiable. The reporter was nowhere close to earshot of any assessments or personal discussions of health issues; however, she was present for conversations about pets, ID needs and court dates, none of which were deeply personal in nature and some of which are already public information.
It would have substantially slowed the HRT’s work for the Times to get names and photo consent for everyone the team spoke to, so for this trip, we stuck with unidentifiable information to convey some of the specifics of situations that arose, even for people we’ve spoken to before.
The HRT is visiting various camps around the city on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, walking several miles each day. They’re prioritizing the Amtrak camp because the city has announced plans to close it effective Oct. 15.
The first stop of the day is an 8:30 a.m. meeting inside the Amtrak station to go over what’s happening, who they need to check on, who has appointments and more — setting goals for the day.
Outside, a man holds a tote bag, ready to go to a care facility in Johnson County. Fergus will take him there.
A little while later, she calls: the facility isn’t open on Wednesdays. They’ll have to try again another day.
One couple who used to live at Amtrak are set to get housed today. The team members might not get to see that for themselves, but it’s the outcome they hope for, of course. Moore says the team spent a whole day with them once, but it seemed like that was what it took to get them to that point. When you see people making that change, you don’t mind if you spend a whole day with them, he says.
The team proceeds into the camp behind the station, catching up with folks as they move forward and making notes on spreadsheets attached to clipboards. Most team members wear bright pink T-shirts — Thornton discovered that they’re a lot easier to see through the trees than black shirts, so she picked up several from a craft store and went to work.
They see a man riding by on a bicycle and shout to try to get his attention, but he rides away. He catches up with them later and apologizes — he was in a hurry or he would’ve stopped. He declines the team’s offer of a water bottle — “I’m tryin’ to quit,” he jokes.
One person, offered a couple of cold water bottles, says “Thank you, man. Love you guys.” Some take a couple extra bottles back to folks who didn’t come out of their tents; others decline. At a few of the tent clusters, no one answers at all.
No snacks today, and no popsicles, but the cold water is nice. One woman asks if they have any bug spray. They’ll come back with some, Thornton says.
Nearby, a man calmly takes off his shirt and puts it on the ground where he’s starting a small fire. HRT members point out that he was just wearing that shirt and ask him not to set it on fire. He doesn’t listen, but the fire isn’t a danger. The team does not escalate the situation. Circling back later, Klamm kicks a little dirt over the shirt as it’s still smoking a bit.
The team sees a resident they’ve been concerned about. She doesn’t want to talk, but she’s OK.
Another resident has been robbed, and among items stolen are medical supplies to care for an injury.
Most of the folks the team members encounter have already had assessments completed to have their information input into the Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS. But today the team encounters two people who are ready and willing to complete the assessments. Erickson does one and Fergus does the other.
Put very simply, the HMIS helps agencies ensure they’re collecting data that’s up to standards, helps keep track of the services people are receiving, prevents duplication of services and can provide data to help community members engage in informed advocacy. A robust HMIS essentially creates a by-name list, so service providers have information about each person experiencing homelessness in a community.
Each week, area providers hop on a virtual meeting, go over new names added into the system and determine which services are appropriate next steps for each person.
The assessments — a key step toward someone getting on lists for housing opportunities — are delicate and confidential. They include questions about sensitive subjects such as domestic violence, drug and alcohol use and much more. The team gives plenty of space and visits other folks while Erickson and Fergus sit down individually with the camp residents for 10 or 15 minutes to work through the assessments.
“HRT is cognizant that some of the assessment questions can feel intrusive, and we like to ensure that they feel comfortable with us prior to completing it,” Thornton says — that’s why building rapport is crucial.
Klamm says statistics show that it takes about 70 or more positive interactions with a person experiencing homelessness to start building real trust.
Talks about moving into housing or shelter don’t start on the first day, he says. Even to get to the point that someone is comfortable enough to complete an assessment could take more than 100 positive interactions, depending on the person.
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Team members say they saw about three new faces at Amtrak.
After wrapping up there, the team heads to Second and Indiana streets to visit folks living near Burcham Park and Sandra Shaw Community Health Park. Insects chirp loudly as the afternoon sun warms, but the day still feels more like fall than summer.
A lack of basic identification papers and cards — birth certificates, Social Security cards and so forth — can be a huge obstacle to many other steps toward housing and employment. Even if someone has their documents, tears or water damage could render them unusable for some purposes. And folks may be unable to get their driver’s licenses solely because they have court fees they can’t afford to pay.
At a resource event the day prior, the mobile DMV station was popular. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reentry employees helped folks prepare the paperwork they needed, and inside the Amtrak station, people were able to get their ID cards or driver’s licenses. They could also learn about their eligibility for benefits from employees of the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
Thornton arranges appointments with two people living at camps to go get their IDs in the near future. Another resident is working on getting her Social Security card.
Not having a phone can be another huge barrier — not just an inconvenience. Folks have to be involved in services in order to qualify for Lifeline cellphones, Thornton says.
One woman has been working on applying for jobs, but it’s a lot easier to do so when she has a phone because everything’s online now, she says.
This afternoon, she’s getting ready for her husband’s court date for a drug possession case. It’ll take them about an hour to get there on the bus, she says. But when her husband’s case is called on the docket, he’s not there. It’s the second time he’s missed court. His attorney hasn’t had contact with him, and the judge issues a warrant for his arrest. He’ll have to pay a bondsman hundreds of dollars to be released from jail if he is arrested. If either one of them had a phone in service, he could have just appeared via Zoom.
One woman is waiting to hear back to make sure she’s been added to housing lists. And she shares good news — her daughter is living in an Oxford house and trying to stay sober.
Another woman seems more concerned about her dogs than herself, worried that one pup might have ear mites. Thornton texts the Lawrence Humane Society’s outreach workers to ask them to stop by.
The team wraps up the day’s visits around 1:30 p.m. On the way back to their cars, a housed resident walking a dog stops to chat with Thornton. He thinks there are several dozen people living at this camp, Thornton tells the team.
But the team has just interacted with pretty much everyone currently living in that area — about eight or 10 people altogether. There are some abandoned campsites, though. Klamm says he thinks people may just infer from stuff that’s been left behind.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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