Lt. Justin Sears, Terre Haute Police Department Public Information Officer, discusses policies for handling homelessness Thursday morning at police headquarters.
Tribune-Star/ David Kronke
Though compassion may be becoming increasingly rare in the public sphere, it’s precisely what the Terre Haute Police Department strives to practice, particularly when it comes to dealing with homeless people, said Lt. Justin Sears, THPD Public Information Officer, on Thursday.
“We’re not looking to arrest people for sleeping in different areas — we take the compassionate approach and provide resources, not make arrests,” he said. “That doesn’t do anybody good.
“We’re protectors and problem solvers, we’re not arresters, and that’s what we want to do, we want to help provide resources, and with our social worker program, [Jarom Hawker is] a keeper of a lot of resources. We want to provide resources to people who want help.”
Sears said he wanted the community to understand its policy toward homelessness.
“We just wanted to inform of an initiative we have to assist with the homeless in the city,” he said. “We do receive complaints or reports of encampments or people sleeping in certain areas, both public and private, and we wanted to assist how we could. And with other city agencies, if we can do a cleanup at the same time that would better serve the city.
“With the bills coming through (the legislature) whether or not to arrest the homeless or make those laws changed, it’s not necessarily a response but it’s just to identify what we’re doing,” Sears added. “Nothing we’re doing has changed. We respond to reports from the community.”
The homeless often do not understand what they’re entitled to.
“A lot of times, people in those situations are [eligible] for resources that they’re just not aware of,” Sears said. “Jarom is pretty good with putting people in the right places with the right contacts.”
Some of those contacts for resources include those provided by the state, community outreach organizations and churches.
Popular homeless encampments are at Fairbanks Park near the Wabash River, and along Interstate 70 south of Margaret. Occasionally, however, the homeless make unwise decisions regarding where to bunk out overnight.
“Our goal is not to displace people completely,” Sears said. “However, private businesses and public property aren’t great places for encampments. If we can provide resources and clean up the city at the same time, that’s our goal.”
Other homeless folks seek to escape the outside world.
“Individuals are looking for places a little bit away from the city where they want to feel safe,” Sears said. “It can be fearsome, living in a displaced situation like that.”
Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun issued a statement: “Homelessness is a complex issue, and I want to recognize that many different factors can lead someone to this point. As a city with limited resources, our focus is on connecting individuals experiencing homelessness with the services already available across Indiana.
“At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure that all residents can live in a clean, safe and welcoming community. That means working one-on-one with Hoosiers — not to offer a handout, but a hand up. The administration has already begun research and conversations with similar communities to develop further policies to help prevent homelessness and address it in a humane and understanding way.”
Terre Haute police have become involved with a lot more than crime in recent years, Sears said.
“The police department has become a catch-all for a lot of things, and we’re OK with that,” he said. “We train our officers to be a catch-all, and anything we can do to help our community, we’re going to do.”
A second social worker has been hired by the police department, Sears reported with an official announcement expected next week.
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