Well isn’t this interesting, law enforcement is actually trying to help with kindness. Woohoo! Far to often the police in our city are thought about in a negative way. It’s nice to be reminded of all the good that police do in our city, and not just by protecting us and breaking up fights, but also by helping those who need help. Police Officer Jason Farris has been helping the homeless people in Laguna Beach. Instead of ignoring the problem or trying to chase it away, Farris makes an effort to talk to, get to know, and try and help the homeless people in the area.
Last year after residents voted that the homeless issue in their city was a #2 concern, the police decided to do something about it and try to help the situation with compassion in hopes that others would follow.
“You just come in to Laguna Beach, brand new?” Police Officer Jason Farris asked the weathered man in the brown, floppy hat.
Lolling at the edge of the city bus depot — bedroll, canteen and cane plunked by his side — the man stiffened warily. But Farris was undeterred.
Less than 15 minutes later, Johnny, as the man calls himself, was chattering about life as a tattoo artist as he flashed the cop photos of his former wife.
So unfolded another morning for Farris, Laguna Beach’s newly minted community outreach officer.
The 3-month-old position is part of a wide-ranging effort by the city to end the panhandling, public urination and camping that have drawn complaints from residents and merchants alike. But Farris is no ordinary cop: He strolls Laguna’s streets and sand, greeting by name the people who sleep under the boardwalk or beneath bushes and stopping to talk rather than shooing them away.
“You can’t force them into getting off the street,” Farris said. “It’s not a crime for them to be homeless.” He aims to build trust with the city’s down and out, coaxing them to seek help.
Besides hiring Farris, a task force assembled by the city last year has drafted more than a dozen other recommendations for how to move Laguna’s 50 or so chronically homeless people off the streets. These include a public information campaign to discourage giving change to beggars and five specially labeled parking meters that would collect money for local homeless services, modeled after a program in Denver.
Additionally, advocates are looking for land to expand the Resource Center, which offers meals, groceries, clothes and other services to those in need. City officials hope to enlarge the facility into a one-stop shop with mental health aid and substance abuse counseling.
Besides the center, the upscale enclave of about 25,000 — where the median home price is almost $1.5 million — has a cold-weather shelter that rotates among local churches, a residential shelter with strict rules for admission, and regular free meals.
City officials consider their strategy toward the homeless, with the emphasis on outreach, a novel one. “It is not just an enforcement-based approach. It is really more of a balanced approach,” said Assistant City Manager John Pietig. “We feel like that reflects the character of the community.” [LATimes]
Loading ...Photo by the LATimes
1 response so far ↓
1 Bobbie // Apr 24, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Laguna Beach is a very upscale neighborhood and it’s wonderful they can implement a program to help the homeless. It’s a shame that we can’t afford a program like this every community especially at a time where so many people are losing their homes.
Leave a Comment