This was an email Q and A with Officer Robert “Yoshi” Yoshioka of the Louisville Metro Police Department Mobile Response Unit – Homeless Engagement. He was unable to come to the Bon Air Neighborhood Association meeting on Monday. He did answer some questions by email. His answers are in italics.
1.
Who is making up the
homeless who are camping and dwelling within the Bon Air Neighborhood.
The 3 largest groups would be individuals who have mental health
issues, drug issues, or a combination of the two. There is a very small number
of people who have had a run of bad luck. There is also a much smaller number
of people who choose to live the way they do.
2. What is being done about this/for them.
The city's RCS office coordinates other city offices and some
non-profit groups to try to get services to these people and to coordinate
“cleans” and “clears”
A lot of the services provided to the houseless are provided by
private non-profit groups. Some receive financial backing from the city and
others are from private donations. The services include Mental health, drug
rehab, saving sex-trafficked children, young adult services, Veterans
assistance, houseless pet assistance, housing assistance, food, and immediate
needs.
LMPDs Homeless Mobile Response Unit has 2 officers (me and Ofc.
Morrison) We coordinate with the city and non-profit groups to insure that
service providers are safe when they go out and to insure that houseless
individuals have access to services such as mental health, drug rehab, and
police services.
3. Should you be giving money to the homeless/panhandlers in the neighborhood?
Probably not.
Panhandling is not against the law as the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that
flying a sign is a 1st amendment right. It does however create
dangerous situations for traffic and pedestrians. The off-and-on ramps are a
prime spot because people make the most money there. You also don’t know if a
person standing out there is in fact homeless or just collecting extra money
for themselves.
4. Where should we be referring these people to?
Unfortunately, there is no one place that fixes everything. It usually takes someone to make contact with an individual to find out what a person really needs. If you see a homeless camp please call in a 311 call. This will be routed through RCS and to us. This will also then reach services providers.
5. What can we do to be more supportive of the official efforts?
For right now calling in 311 reports is very helpful. I would also
watch the cities 4 step plan that they just announced to see if any help can be
provided when those plans move forward.
