Introduction to Homelessness Issues in the Community

by Officer Steve Vangeli, Pinellas Park PD

The Pinellas Park Police Department, along with the Pinellas County Homeless Coalition, recently conducted a training in conjunction with the Florida Regional Community Policing Institute at the Allstate Center in St. Petersburg. The objective of the class was to invite law enforcement agencies throughout the state to learn a different approach when encountering homelessness in their communities. With the current economic situation the number of homeless in our communities is dramatically increasing. Over sixty law enforcement officers and civilian service providers attended the training.

They were shown the concept of developing a Homeless Outreach Team, pairing a social worker and a law enforcement officer together to assist and place the homeless in their communities. Members of the St. Petersburg Police Department and Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Outreach Teams were in attendance and spoke.  The attendees were given valuable resource information from representatives of the Pinellas County Homeless Coalition, the Veterans Administration and the shelters involved in the program. After the class numerous attendees contacted the outreach teams expressing their interest in starting a Homeless Outreach Team in their county with their law enforcement agency.

A recurring theme throughout the training was that this could happen to anyone – single men, single mothers, and now more than ever, entire families.  Our economy is still struggling.  We will continue to see more and more people facing difficulties in their lives.  It is important for us to become educated on the causes of homelessness and what we can do to help.

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This project was supported by Grant No. 2009-CKWX-K010 awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Department of Justice, and Grant No. 2009-D1-BX-K030 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the SMART Office, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.