Two years ago, the vast majority of us were confused, fearful, and uncertain. While most were able to remain informed and up-to-date on the latest developments with COVID19, this was a new type of challenge for all of us, including the homeless population in Grand Rapids.
In April 2020, the City of Grand Rapids thoughtfully created and activated the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) to help mitigate COVID19 related health and safety concerns. Born out of urgent need, the team made swift impact with the homeless community, and with the pandemic's waning grip, they've shifted to active ongoing outreach.
Augmenting the city's larger homelessness workgroup, the HOT states its mission is “to preserve health and safety and improve outcomes for homeless persons and our community.” Made up of two police officers and two fire personnel, the team is actively in the community Monday through Saturday connecting with unsheltered individuals to help them obtain services and support, as well as local businesses and residents to help resolve any issues.
The HOT team tracks and shares their engagement and impact on a public dashboard. In 2021, they diverted 51 individuals from the ER, 61 from jail. Through a formal partnership with Network180, a west Michigan community leader in mental health services, adding behavior health and addiction recovery support to the outreach offense for those in need. In 2021, they referred 83 individuals for substance abuse or mental health services.
Captain Mike Waldron of the Grand Rapids Fire Department, and supervisor of the group, has been engaged with the community and helping local press outlets like MLive, FOX17, WZZM13, and WOODTV8 understand and share the group's mission and their passion for supporting this community.
The city's Homeless Outreach Team is about more than just crisis management or incident resolution. They're engaged with local businesses not only to resolve incidents, but to collaborate on providing services and solutions for the homeless population. One Starfish Foundation and our COO, Scott Vogel, are a growing part of that collaboration, aligned in our values and approach to engage and support Grand Rapids' homeless. Click here to get involved with our organization!
