Metro to hire liaison to help homeless

Wednesday, June 29, 2005 | 10:46 a.m.

Metro Police are expected to begin advertising today for a liaison for the homeless, a paid position that appears to be the first of its kind in the nation.

Advocates hailed the move, saying it raises the level of commitment by an agency that has been criticized for its handling of the homeless.

Though other police departments nationwide have assigned officers to work with the homeless, or named a community volunteer to work with officers on the issue, Metro may be the first to hire someone as a liaison for the homeless, experts said.

"I've never heard of this before," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, a Washington-based organization.

The position will pay from $55,905 to $75,967 and will be filled by someone with experience in crisis intervention, counseling, social work, or homeless outreach, Metro's job announcement noted.

Angela Alioto, chairwoman of a committee creating a 10-year plan to end chronic, or long-term homelessness in San Francisco -- perhaps the nation's most high-profile city when it comes to the issue -- said Metro committing to a liaison "sends a message to the public -- not to punish but to take people off the street and get them into housing."

Metro has been at the center of controversy on many occasions in recent years when it comes to the homeless, whether because of allegations that officers were targeting homeless people for misdemeanor crimes such as urinating in public or because of the department's participation in sweeps of homeless camps.

In late 2003, the National Coalition for the Homeless named Las Vegas the nation's "meanest city" when it comes to the homeless. The report was titled, "Illegal to be homeless: The Criminalization of Homelessness in the United States."

In recent months, as Metro had to move in and help clear out a homeless camp several times on Wilson Avenue downtown, top brass began developing the idea of the liaison, said Officer Bill Gibbs, one of two Metro officers who work with the homeless on an ongoing basis.

Arrests and sweeps are something Metro would like to avoid in hiring the new liaison; the hope is that more people get the help they need, he said.

"The whole push behind this ... when the whole situation at Wilson began ... was to possibly prevent a camp like this from occurring (in the future)."

Sgt. Tom Stoll of Bolden Area Command oversaw Metro's presence on Wilson during a recent 60-day period in which public and private agencies tried to help people in the camp. When that period ended June 17, Metro had to tell dozens who were still on the street to move along.

"Our whole thing has been, 'Develop your program and then we go in at the end and move them.' It's a frustrating thing to talk to these (homeless) people for two months and then not be able to do more," he said.

Stoops, of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said police departments elsewhere have made attempts to deal with the issue, but none have gone as far as to commit funds to paying a civilian to work with the homeless.

"Homelessness is such a complex issue in Las Vegas, it's a good step in bringing people together and helping the police department have a better understanding," he said.

Linda Lera-Randle El, director of Straight from the Streets, a leading local nonprofit organization, said the groundbreaking announcement could "set some kind of example -- that the worlds of social work and law enforcement can coexist."

She also hoped that whoever is hired to fill the position "has the freedom to create and is not just a layer of bureaucracy."

Gibbs said the position "is not going to be a desk job." He said the liaison's duties would include training new police officers about the homeless.

The job announcement says the liaison would also work with public and private agencies that help the homeless, intervene in crises and offer assessment to the homeless, provide referrals, enhance public awareness, prepare statistical reports, and apply for federal grants.

Alioto said the new liaison will be closely watched by people like her in other cities nationwide.

"It's key (for the liaison) to get results within the first six months," she said.

"If it's successful, it will be copied everywhere."