(Excerpt from Denver Homeless Outreach Team police report) Today, the CIT team partners with community agencies such as the Mental Health Center of Denver(MHCD), Denver Options, Denver Health Medical Center,and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Today: Over 96 percent of CIT calls result in no injuries to officers or citizens. Only 4 percent of mental health calls involving a CIT officer result in arrest. Nearly one in five calls result in de-escalation of the individual’s emotional state so that no emergency services are required.As for indoor feedings being better than street feedings - well, the authors below certainly utilized all the rational reasons in the piece below, but they neglected a couple of very important points here. First, if the Homeless were all rational, we wouldn't have nearly as many, so while the reasons for eating inside might sound like they make sense to you and I, to many of the Homeless, they won't. Second, a lot of folks simply will not come inside some of the shelters and soup kitchens for any one of a hundred reasons; from worrying that the food is poisoned to concern that someone in there might be after them to a fear that cannibals lurk behind the serving line. I've heard all these reasons - plus plenty more - from folks who won't come in to eat in a place where others congregate. Finally, I'm not sure how many of these places any of you have been in, but I've been in more than my share and I can tell you, they aren't very appealing or inviting. The day-shelter I work in often has an odor that I wouldn't find enhancing the ambiance any while I dined. sometimes too, the folks who sit next to you are....less than savory, to put it mildly, not to mention a touch on the dirty side. Fights occasionally occur, people shout with food in their mouths, it can be noisy as hell and sometimes you've got to listen to a lecture about God in order to get some food. Now, before I get crucified for stating sijmple truths, let me say here that for many of my homeless brothers and sisters, they simply cannot help that they have body odor or are in need of a shower. It isn't easy to live under a bridge year round, and I don't care how prepared you are. My point here was not to malign or disgrace my fellow human beings who must face the indignities of homelessness, but merely to point out why it is that so many folks would rather eat outside, away from the close quarters of a soup kitchen or a church gathering room.
But these selfless acts would result in greater good if the homeless were fed indoors, where they could use a bathroom or access other services. It also would ease pressure on residents who've grown weary of big, public feedings.
That's the message behind Come On In, a campaign to match food providers with facilities that will accommodate their philanthropy.
It's a good idea, and we hope it will be embraced by church and civic groups that are going to great effort to help those less fortunate.
The campaign, which kicked off last week, is the work of service providers, neighborhood associations, faith-based organizations and government, including Denver's human services department.
They are collaborating with groups that have indoor locations so the poor and hungry can eat indoors every day of the year.
Having a roof overhead, a chance to wash one's hands and a chair to sit on is a more dignified way for the poor and homeless to have a meal. They also could get information on shelters, health care, mental health counseling or even job training.
And it will ease friction with those who live and work near areas where outdoor feedings typically occur.
It's not unusual for these feeding areas to be littered with trash and befouled by people who don't have access to a toilet.
"We need help getting the word out that there are some unintended consequences to these really good acts," said Roxane White, manager of Denver's Department of Human Services.
About 21 groups engage in outdoor feedings in Denver, serving hundreds of homeless and poor people every day.
It is true that the city police department could crack down, to some extent, on the outdoor feedings, said Layla Destaffany, a Denver police officer who works in homeless outreach. Citations could be issued for blocking sidewalks or trespassing if an outdoor feeding is taking place on private property without permission.
But this coalition is trying a different approach, appealing for cooperation from people who obviously are trying to do the right thing.
"They have good intentions and we don't want to punish them for that," said Destaffany.
Come On In is urging groups that feed outdoors to call the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless at 303-285-5258 to be matched with a facility.
The group aims to begin changing outdoor feeding in fall and winter of this year and eliminate it by the fall of 2008 — without anyone having lost a meal. It's a humane and laudable goal.
