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A devoted homelessness response unit has been created inside Fort Collins Police Companies with the objective of extra constantly and successfully addressing points surrounding homelessness in the neighborhood.
The Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement Staff — nicknamed HOPE by the division — launched this spring. The group of 4 officers is led by Sgt. Annie Hill, who’s a Disaster Intervention Staff licensed teacher, licensed habit counselor and was a longtime member of the division’s psychological well being co-responder group, now generally known as the Psychological Well being Response Staff.
The homeless outreach group’s priorities embrace “offering people with companies/sources, selling security, and addressing environmental considerations,” in line with a March Fb put up.
The group will likely be chargeable for responding to all calls to police involving individuals experiencing homelessness all through town, Chief Jeff Swoboda stated, and calls that aren’t an emergency will likely be held for this group to reply to once they’re in a position.
Swoboda stated he hopes sending the identical officers to all these calls repeatedly will permit these officers to kind relationships with the homeless group and improve the group’s belief with legislation enforcement, very similar to how District 1 operates in downtown Fort Collins.
Inconsistent responses to calls involving individuals experiencing homelessness has led to mistrust, Swoboda stated, and having a devoted group of officers responding to those calls will make the response and enforcement actions extra constant.
Extra:Cleanup prices rise as homeless encampments develop in Fort Collins
