This month, we’re highlighting our Street Outreach program, which serves some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Winter is an annual crisis for people experiencing homelessness living in “places not meant for human habitation” (HUD’s phrase for people living outdoors, in vehicles, in abandoned buildings, etc.). They face risks from cold weather exposure. These include hypothermia, frostbite, cardiac strain, asthma, trench foot, and other skin conditions; their effects make it difficult for to meet their day-to-day needs and regain housing.
At the same time, people living outdoors are the hardest to reach.
Many have histories of chronic homelessness (having been homeless for a year or more with a disability) and/or mental illness(es). They may not be able to come to BEDS Walk-In Center hours, want to stay in the places they inhabit, and/or fear negative experiences with homeless services, healthcare, and mental/behavioral healthcare. South Florida-based homeless services agency Brighten the Corner1 lists 25 perfectly justifiable reasons why people avoid homeless shelters including:
- Fear of violence or theft
- Unsanitary conditions
- A lack of privacy and personal space
- Anxiety or depression triggered by shelter conditions
A 2019 study in the International Journal for Equity in Health also found that people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity saw healthcare and supportive services as “stigmatizing” and “shaming.2” They need services that meet them where they’re at and keep their dignity during a challenging time in their lives.
Our Street Outreach program offers a compassionate frontline response to homelessness.
Manager of Street Outreach Zac Catrambone leads our Street Outreach team. It has dedicated Steet Outreach Worker roles for the Western and Southern communities in our service region, and we prioritize filling them with people from those areas with lived experience of homelessness. Zac and his team have an affirmative outreach strategy that prioritizes underserved communities with high levels of need. They regularly visit places where people experiencing homelessness stay, like their vehicles, forest preserves, parks, parking garages, libraries, police departments, and village halls. The team engages them with a simple hello; introduction; and questions like “are you around here often?,” “do you need anything?," or “do you know anyone who might need some help?” They offer basic supplies and connections to longer-term services and housing, and they come back to ensure that individuals are healthy and safe. Their work will be essential in the next four months.
The team will help people living outdoors survive freezing weather and regain housing.
People experiencing homelessness who live outdoors are resourceful. During the winter, they sleep in heated areas like parking garages, over exhaust grates, and in warming centers. But they still need resources, and the only way they can guarantee their health and safety is through housing. Our Street Outreach offers people experiencing homelessness winter supplies like coats, hats, gloves, hand warmers, and blankets. In the worst weather, the teams connect them to emergency shelter in area motel rooms. But they try to build a lasting rapport that will bring people experiencing homelessness into our or our partners’ services. In some cases, they can connect people to supportive housing directly from the streets. “That’s the most rewarding,” says Manager of Street Outreach Zac Catrambone, “when you meet someone living outside and gain their trust to take them through the housing process. Driving them up to their new apartments is a feeling I never forget.”
With winter coming, you can support BEDS Plus with a financial gift here. You can also donate high need items including: new/gently used blankets, sleeping bags, men’s and unisex hoodies/sweatshirts, handwarmers and small denomination gift cards to McDonalds, Dunkin, etc. Please drop off Mon – Sat 9am-4pm at our Summit Service Center, 7666 W. 63rd St. Summit.