The Lubbock Police Department has teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce to launch a Homeless Outreach Program (H.O.T), to help the needs of the homeless community downtown, as well as the businesses that operate there.
Chairwoman of the Lubbock Chamber, Beth Bridges, says it’s a win-win situation for everyone. Officers help the homeless to stay off the streets, while at the same time working to keep the downtown area a safe place for potential businesses and customers, ultimately saving tax payer money.
The idea for H.O.T was inspired by the downtown committee of “Imagine Lubbock Together” who had expressed issues and concerns about safety downtown as well as in regard to the city’s homeless population. Imagine Lubbock Together Chairman, David Park, said one of the concerns was that it could affect the city being able to bring in potential customers and businesses to the downtown area. Together with the South Plains Homeless Consortium, the two groups then turned to the Lubbock Police Dept. for a potential solution. For police, this was actually an issue they had been working on for quite some time.
“Ironically, before we could get to them [Lubbock Police Dept] they had already started working on this issue and had a plan that was in perfect synergy with what the Homeless Consortium was working on and what the interests of downtown business owners were,” said Park.
The new team is composed of three men, Sergeant Eric Quijada, Corporal Steven Bergen and Corporal Korie Archambault. And while Cpl. Bergen says Lubbock’s current homeless population is at an estimated four to five-hundred, he says the team is greatly looking forward to the task ahead.
“It may seem like, ‘man that’s maybe a 100 people per officer’,” said Cpl. Bergen, “but just like anything else, any endeavor, any crisis, we just take it one step at a time, and just like this, we’re going to take it with one individual at a time and just move on to the next.”
The program will involve the officers reaching out to displaced individuals in downtown and helping them get back on their feet, whether that means helping them acquire their birth certificates, driving them to a potential workplace or working with them on writing a resume.
Police Chief Greg Stevens he’s very proud of his men for coming forward with the idea. He believes it will serve as a “force multiplier.”
“These officers, this unit, will be a resource to them [the homeless],” said Chief Stevens.
H.O.T will officially stand as its own unit beginning February 20th.