As Outreach Fort Collins has expanded outside of the downtown core, our team has received an increasing number of calls for concerns related to camping. These calls often include a stated desire to support folks in getting connected to available services in our community, while also addressing the surrounding impacts, such as unattended belongings, litter and debris, and destruction of property.
Recently, Outreach Fort Collins has been included in a weekly City of Fort Collins meeting coordinating the City’s cleanup efforts. OFC’s role is to identify opportunities for client engagement and support, seeking out alternatives to the current situation and building toward long term solutions. Our team’s efforts include:
- Coordinating with partners on the timing of cleanups and focusing our outreach in those areas in the days and weeks leading up to the cleanup
- Answering client questions regarding the cleanup and available options in our community for shelter and long term housing
- Listening and validating client’s experiences, while also assisting clients in creating a plan, including direct access to shelter and housing services
- Actively listening for the barriers that are preventing an individual from accessing services and addressing those barriers where possible
- Providing immediate needs resources, such as water, food, first aid and harm reduction supplies, and trash bags
In all these efforts, our goal is to support individual safety and service engagement while decreasing negative community impacts. Recently, OFC met a client during pre-cleanup outreach. After a month of building trust and rapport, the individual voiced the challenges he faced and a willingness to engage in services. OFC was able to support him in completing a housing assessment that ultimately connected him with permanent supportive housing. Speaking of OFC, the client shared, “Outreach is a good name for them because they have the ability to reach out and help. I have been homeless 20 years off and on and I appreciate the help. If you need help, just ask them!”