Talking points for Thursdays meeting:
Hello there, my name is Jackie Nappi, thank you for inviting me to speak today on this subject of working with the unsheltered population. I feel honored and blessed to be here today to speak with you. A little bit about me and the nonprofit I work for; I am a mother of five children, happily married for 19 years now. I work for SAVS, which stands for Sonoma applied village services. We offer a variety of services to our clients that we serve. We help get our clients into shelters, help them with registrations of vehicles, help them get ID's from the DMV, help them to tow their vehicles or RV's, from one site to another, as well as provide them basic necessities for living; like food, water, hygiene products, sleeping bags and tents, among many other things.
At the moment our non profit is fighting for safe parking, sanctioned encampments, as well as tiny villages, to stop the cycle of constant sweeps.
I have been an outreach worker for a little over a year now and have been serving the unsheltered community for over a decade. These are human beings who you are meeting, at the hardest point in their lives. think to your hardest point in your life, did you want to hide in the house? Maybe curl up in bed and escape for a little while? Retreat from it all? well, the unsheltered population cannot. Their pain and struggle is visible to the whole world daily. knowing this can help you have a better perspective. We are the privileged serving the underprivileged. I personally use the word serve because it helps keep things into perspective for me. you can never be above those you serve , so I serve all those in need.
Doing outreach you will come across all different types of people. Start out with no assumptions. The person you are serving, may have once been your next door neighbor. They may be suffering from addiction, which is a way to self-medicate and deal with their harsh situations or past trauma’s. They could have been a doctor or nurse before life took its toll on their lives and they hit a bottom. You’ll definitely come across a few fire victims as well as disabled Vet’s who fought for our country . You can come across old classmates, or relatives, I know I have!!
You may see some disturbing things during the course of this work. Lots of trash is a major complaint and issue they have. What most don’t know is that it’s usually 1 person with a mental disability of hoarding that will make an entire spot full of trash, but to them it’s not trash, it’s little treasures that they have come across in their day. In a normal situation a hoarder has a house to hide everything in, no one knows about it because it’s hidden from sight. Even millionaires can be hoarders.
If you do see something that really bothers you, please talk to me or other advocates about the things that bother you that you’ve come across. Hopefully we can give you some direction on what to do and how to handle it in the future. Try your best to not give your first reaction to the unsheltered person, there are many reasons why an unsheltered person is different than those who live in houses. Finding out the reasons, and figuring out what you think about them, will be a learning curve for you. It is something you need to give time to, and let your first impression set on a shelf for a while.
I would like to challenge each of you to do what I did during my first weeks on the streets, find the beauty that is to be seen all around. Because it’s there! Look at how crafty they can make their spot’s into homes. Look at how they can make discarded trash into shelters! It’s truly amazing what they can do with little resources. Most take pride in their area, and they form little communities who look out for each other. They share food and water and watch each other’s belongings and pet’s when needed. There is definitely beauty to be found if you look for it.
When doing outreach, encounters are typically the same after a routine is established. That being said from time to time a person may be having a psychotic breakdown or could be extremely intoxicated. Just because someone had an off day does not mean they are always going to be that way. I will tell you a story about my second day on the job ..we pulled up to 5th St underpass and a man was very much agitated, he told us no one wanted food or services that day, he then proceeded to threaten us if we did not leave. My co-worker pulled the bus up a little further away from him and we continued our day serving the people that needed to be served.
About three days later we came back to that spot And I saw the same man. I looked at my co-worker very concerned, I pointed it out that he was there. My coworker told me not to worry, she said that it was a rare occasion and he was normally not like that. Sure enough he came up and smiled and thanked us for the food. I now have been interacting with that man for a year. I have never seen him act the way he did that second day on the job. Had I have judged him permanently from that one encounter, I would not have the relationship I have with him today.
Another example I feel is important to give you is actually an example from when I used to do outreach on my own. In my town of Windsor there was a man named Sam. the first time I met Sam, he would not even look at me or talk to me. And he definitely would not take anything from me.
I was really confused about this because I'd never come across any homeless person that would not take food, water or money. I was extremely perplexed, but nevertheless I persisted. As I persisted to try to have encounters with Sam I also observed him, every time I passed him I noticed he was always cleaning his area making sure it was clean and swept and clear of all debris. One day I passed him an I noticed he was writing on a piece of ripped paper bag. I am a writer myself, so it made me sad to see that all he had to write on was a ripped piece of paper bag. When I notice this I ran home and grabbed a notebook and a pen. I headed right back to him in hopes that this might just bridge the gap. I approached him cautiously because at this point I realized he had extreme paranoia. I introduced myself I told him I noticed he had been writing and that I was a writer myself. I told him about how I wrote my first poem when I was 12 years old for Polly Klass. I told him that I was supposed to be at her house that night, and my outlet for my pain and sadness was too right poetry. he then perked up and said he knew all about Polly Klass and what happened to her, he gave me his sympathies and then gladly took the pen and note pad from me.
With This little bit of information about myself, I was able to connect… to bridge the gap that was there. A bond was forged that day, that is still present today seven years later. Every time he sees me he does not remember my name, but he does remember I'm the girl from Petaluma that knew Poly class. And that means the world to me.
Some tips to keep in mind when you're working on this street; Human beings are as unique as a snowflake, not one is exactly the same…this goes for those whom you will come across in your work… each person has a unique story, background and perspective, as well as challenges the may face .
Energy and body language in my opinion is extremely important, because it sets the stage for the future for you. It lets them know if you're approachable or not. just as they can read your body language, you can read their body language and energy as well, use this to your advantage.
The unsheltered population are trained to look for your silent cues and signals to see if they can trust you. It is extremely important to be real. smile and show compassion. A smile is extremely important even with a mask on, they can see your eyes, and whether or not you enjoy being there. I am constantly being complemented on how much I smile while working. not only does this help you be more approachable, but when you are truly happy doing this type of service, your spirit helps lift up their spirits, which is desperately needed. Try to avoid threatening or strong body posture like crossing your arms or hands on hips.
Ask them about their day, if they respond with a negative or just OK ask them about it. They love to have someone listen and most of all care. You won't always be able to solve their problems by any means, but you can always leave them feeling cared for.
Be approachable and relatable. Don't be afraid to share personal experiences with those on the street, like I did with Sam. That being said do not give out too
personal of information, always use discretion. I am a person who loves to use my own experiences in life to connect to others, so personally, I feel very comfortable sharing stories about my self that relate to a conversation. I bring up that I have a husband and kids, but as far as my personal information like my addresses, that I would never disclose. And the only reason I’ve had to bring up my husband and kids, is in situations where someone is flirting with me.
Have something to pass out if you can. (snacks, water, food, toiletries gift cards, cigarettes) these items can help gain trust with those on the street. In our line of work we use food, snacks and water as our gateway to talking to the unsheltered population and a way of gaining their trust an eventually a working relationship. It is always a good idea to carry some type of item to pass out, ,not only do they love it … but they really appreciate it!!!
A couple don'ts that I have encountered : don't take pictures or videos without consent, not even around their belongings. I have seen plenty of people get extremely upset about seeing a camera out in general. So please be cautious about that. Do not give out unsolicited advice, they already get plenty of unsolicited advice as it is, best thing for you is to stay away from that, if you're trying to forge a working relationship. Probably this homeless person knows what's around to help them. They've probably tried to work with numerous agencies already. You might want their advice about how to negotiate the system but, until you know them pretty well, they don't need yours. Lol
We recently had an issue with someone who wanted to volunteer being insensitive to the unsheltered, in this instance the man, who was wanting to volunteer, noticed that a woman who is standing next to us had drug paraphernalia hidden in her hand discreetly.
He sharply asked her to put it away because it was triggering for him.
Well that triggered the homeless woman because she was trying to keep it discreet, and there is drug use around encampments, so you will run into seeing it from time to time. She told him he should not come around anymore if he is triggered by such things. Needless to say he will not be volunteering LOL this is something to keep in mind though, if you are triggered by such things this might not be the line of work you want to be in, because you will come across it. They are usually extremely respectful and try to keep it hidden, but I'm not going to lie, you will see it from time to time.
If you encounter an aggressive unsheltered individual, do your best to avoid eye contact, try to avoid the aggressive behavior altogether. If you must leave, walk away with your head down avoiding eye contact, like nothing is going on.
Do your best to try to keep all interactions and inquiries positive rather than threatening or invasive. Once you really get to know an unsheltered person who has psychotic episodes, their episodes are not scary or aimed at you typically. Please keep this in mind. I have come across multiple people that to an outsider would seem like scary people when they're having an episode, in reality they are extremely sweet in nature when they're not having episodes. In my experience there is nothing you can do when a person is having an episode, you just need to give them their space that is needed in that moment.
It is extremely important to keep Narcan on you at all times if possible. In one year ,I have came across four ODS, three of which, my Narcan that I had on hand, along with the aid of medical professionals, was able to revive the person who od'd. From my experience it takes 3 nasal Narcan's to bring a person back, the nasal Narcan's come in a 2-pack. if that's all you have on you the person might not make it. Having Narcan and learning how to administer Narcan properly is key to doing outreach on the street and saving a person's life.
On the subject of saving lives: An amazing outcome happens when you just show a little love and compassion to those in need. You can actually save lives!! I was told by a client that me showing him love and support when he didn’t love and support himself, saved his life! He got into a shelter, is going to regular doctor appointments for his cancer and for his mental health, he’s clean and sober and has reconnected with his children. A woman I know told me she would have gave up a long time ago if we were not out there showing love and support, she stated that even though she is not clean just yet she tries to cut back and stop daily. She told me she would never stop trying because we never stop coming. It’s moments like this that make It all worth while.
At the end of the day the unsheltered population are just people. Again, I would like to reiterate the importance of compassion. You have to have compassion for those you are serving, otherwise your not doing them any good and you're wasting your time and theirs.
Now it’s time for your questions and comments.
