City seeks to help homeless population

November 29, 2022 4:24 PM

Photo by Erin Nelson.

The city of Homewood, along with neighboring municipalities and Jefferson County, is trying to tackle issues associated with homelessness while helping the homeless get the help they need.

“Being homeless is not a crime,” Councilwoman Jennifer Andress said.

But, Andress said other associated acts like panhandling and loitering are crimes.

The issues of panhandling and loitering have come up in discussions between Homewood and neighbor Mountain Brook, along with Jefferson County. The Homewood Police Department has stepped up trying to stop the criminal acts from happening while having compassion for those who might need help.

“It’s not illegal to be homeless,” Sgt. John Carr with the Homewood Police Department said.

The Police Department has discouraged law-breaking and made a handful of arrests to try to curb the behavior, which Carr said has been successful. They’ve also closed at least two encampments, as there are numerous public health issues with setting up a camp.

“That just creates a whole other set of issues,” Carr said.

Still, the department’s aim is not to simply kick people out of the city and send them elsewhere. Carr said it is not uncommon for officers to give rides to shelters, and department leaders have partnered with organizations offering solutions to drug and mental health problems as well.

“We try to treat everyone with respect and dignity,” Carr said. “We’re not mental health experts, but we are the first line most of the time.”

Officers know many of the homeless people that come into the city, calling them by their first name, Carr said.

While officers can link those in need with available help, it is, at some point, up to that person to do their part to receive help, Carr said.

“We can take these people to the shelters, and they do a good job, but you can’t force them to stay there,” Carr said.

The department also recently has formed a relationship with Recovery Organization of Support Specialists, addiction specialists who have a 24-hour helpline, Carr said. They offer services to get people off of the street and into a recovery program.

Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston said the Mountain Brook Police Department also might try to take homeless people to shelters, but he noted that they have not had much of an uptick in panhandling or loitering.

“We try to treat everybody we come in contact with with dignity and respect,” Gaston said.

Mountain Brook Police Chief Jaye Loggins said his department is typically dealing with folks outside city limits, so while they cannot enforce anything, officers can ask homeless people to move to a different location, which they typically do.

Andress said she knows that at one time people were living in the old Virginia College in the Palisades, as well as an old business near Vulcan. There were also encampments under the bridge of U.S. 280 adjacent to Shades Creek Parkway, she said.

Both Andress and Homewood Mayor Patrick McClusky said The World Games this past summer exacerbated the problem and created an increase in the number of homeless people in the city, though McClusky noted that number seems to be down.

“If we can offer help, then we certainly do,” McClusky said.

Andress said JJ Bischoff, McClusky’s chief of staff, tried to reach an agreement with a downtown shelter wherein Homewood would have priority placement for those picked up, but that wasn’t possible.

The city is now working with the county to help connect people with the resources they need to get help, Andress said.

County Commissioner Steve Ammons said the county is examining all areas where homelessness is popping up. The emphasis on stopping panhandling is to crack down on those who are pretending to be homeless and taking advantage of the kindness of strangers, he said. There are parts of the city that are known as the “honey hole,” he said.

“Homelessness is not a crime, but panhandling is,” Ammons said.

Making sure the county’s nonprofits have the support they need is crucial, Ammons said. County commissioners have discretionary money to donate, and many will give to resources like Firehouse Ministries, One Roof and others, Ammons said.

Anne Rygiel, executive director of Firehouse, believes inflation and hot weather have driven people to shelters more so than The World Games. The shelter expanded just before the COVID-19 pandemic and saw their numbers rise. Those numbers have not come down, and they have been “significantly” over capacity since June, she said.

The top reason many people are homeless is lack of medical care, Rygiel said. For many people, the only medical care they get is from emergency rooms. The situation isn’t helped by the state of Alabama’s refusal to expand Medicaid, she said.

The homeless population is also increasing in age, she said, and many have two or more reasons for being homeless, including inability to make rent, pay medical bills or more.

“That’s a story we’re seeing more and more,” Rygiel said.

While it is not illegal to be homeless, Rygiel said that does not prevent those suffering from homelessness from running into issues with law enforcement.

“Homelessness is very much criminalized,” Rygiel said. “Encampments come from a sense of self-preservation.”

Perryn Carroll, executive director of the Jimmie Hale Mission, said they have seen an increase in the number of residents experiencing homelessness. Substance abuse is responsible for 90% of the cases the shelter sees, and that means people from the suburbs are coming in more frequently, Carroll said. Substance abuse is no respecter of socioeconomic status, Carroll said.

“It still kind of catches my breath,” Carroll said. “I have four boys. When I hear where they come from, I think, ‘That could be my [child].”

All three of Jimmie Hale’s facilities — Jimmie Hale Mission, Jessie’s Place and Royal Pines — offer recovery programs that are free for 15 weeks, Carroll said. Residents can stay up to six months when they get a job to save up money for a long-term residence.

There is a misconception that those experiencing homelessness are simply lazy and it is much more complicated, Carroll said. Once they overcome any abuse and once given the tools to overcome, they can contribute to society.

“They’re not bad people,” Carroll said.

Carroll said the shelter has a very good relationship with law enforcement, which brings people to warming stations and shelters.

For those who may be experiencing homelessness, there are a lot of great resources, Rygiel said. That includes multiple shelters downtown, including Firehouse for men and First Light for women. For those who want to help others, Rygiel said it’s as simple as getting tied to an organization and helping out. Carroll said it is important not to give cash out, but to support Birmingham-area shelters.

“Let’s all be proactive as a community,” Rygiel said.

If you are experiencing homelessness and in need of resources or you are interested in donating or looking for volunteer opportunities, check out these organizations for more information: