On guard: Homeless learn valuable skill

Wednesday, March 27, 2002 | 11:54 a.m.

Wesley Arrowood earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of South Carolina, served as a Marine in the Gulf War and had worked as a nightclub manager in his native Atlanta.

But after only a few months in Las Vegas, where he was unable to find suitable work, Arrowood became addicted to gambling and drugs and found himself broke and homeless.

His story is common in Las Vegas, except for one detail: He found his way out of homelessness and back into society through a Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada program that trained him to be a security guard.

After four years at Catholic Charities, undergoing therapy and doing various jobs, Arrowood today is captain of the nonprofit organization's 40-person unarmed security force, made up entirely of homeless and formerly homeless people.

"I had lost all of my self-worth by the time I got here," Arrowood, 39, said. "I gave myself to this organization, and it saved my life."

The St. Vincent's Plaza Security Team trains guards, with guidance from Metro Police, to protect the organization's eight acres of property from vandalism and other crimes, to resolve minor disputes among the homeless residents and to direct people seeking assistance to the proper departments.

As the city of Las Vegas publicly battles homelessness by sweeping camps, the program shows what those without resources can do when given a chance.

"It puts a face on homelessness and shows that many homeless people can and want to improve their situations," Catholic Charities spokeswoman Sharon Mann said. "They are not all the stereotyped vagrant on the street looking for a handout."

David Wilson, who worked his way from homeless city resident to become a lieutenant, agreed. "A lot of people need help but are afraid to ask for help. Programs like this can clean up the streets, if people would trust them."

Like other Catholic Charities job training programs that teach culinary, housekeeping and employment service skills, the security staff aims to help clients get jobs in casinos and at other properties.

The officers in training are not paid, but receive lodging, therapy and three meals a day. A volunteer officer must work for 90 days to apply for one of 17 paying supervisory jobs as they become available.

Those jobs are given based on merit, not seniority, Arrowood said, but the opportunities to move up are good, because so many of the officers get jobs elsewhere.

"I expect to lose a lot of people, including my lieutenants, because they move on to higher-paying permanent positions -- and that is what this program is all about," Arrowood said.

Occasionally members of the force are hired out to work temporarily in the community. Some of the officers have worked at the Fremont Street Experience and at area businesses through the Catholic Charities Residential Work Program.

Loretta Masters, general manager of All USA Security Services Inc., said her company generally has been satisfied with trainees it has hired.

As the competition for guard positions has gotten stiff since the wave of casino layoffs that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the trainees have been able to hold their own in the application pools because of their training, she said.

Wilson and fellow Lt. Eric Bohm are among those who have worked their way from homelessness to supervisory positions.

Wilson, 52, found himself homeless after moving to Las Vegas from Baltimore and not finding work in his field, purchasing. Bohm, 23, came to Las Vegas from Montana to find work as a security officer. Both have been in the program fewer than two years.

"I had exhausted all of my funds and had not eaten for seven days by the time I came here," Wilson, a Vietnam War veteran, said. "I'm convinced that without this program I would not have survived."

Bohm said he realized early on that if anything good was going to happen for him as a result of the program, it was not going to happen overnight.

"I was pretty beaten down when I decided to come here -- all I wanted was just to get off the streets." said Bohm, who recently moved into his own apartment, the goal of the agency's homeless recovery program.

Those who enter the St. Vincent's security training program are evaluated to determine not only if they can physically do the job, but also if they have the right attitude and sensitivity to do the work.

If the job is done properly, Wilson said, conflicts between security officers and the street people are kept to a minimum or avoided altogether.

"When you treat people with respect, you get respect," he said. "Many incidents are more verbal than anything else, and people move on."

After volunteer officers demonstrate they can handle simple assignments, such as standing posts, additional responsibilities are given, with each step carefully supervised, Arrowood said. The ongoing training includes writing reports, radio communications and how to work with Metro Police.

"They have been a tremendous help to us," said Metro Sgt. Eric Fricker, supervisor of the Homeless Evaluation Liaison Program. "Catholic Charities has taken people who at one time may have had an adverse relationship with law enforcement and put them in a position where they now assist police.

"They also have been put in a position of power, and that can lead to abuse." Training and good supervision have helped avoid that, he said.

Fricker said that because the security officers once were homeless, they often can relate to homeless people and resolve issues without police assistance. That is vital in an area that was plagued by problems caused by vagrant encampments.

Arrowood said programs such as security training at St. Vincent won't change the public's perception of homelessness overnight, but it's a start.

"Almost anybody can become homeless," he said. "Every day I see people who are willing to work if they can get the training and if employers would give them a chance."