His title is Officer — Officer Eric Helberg of the Cambridge Police Department — but homeless people in Cambridge call him “Eric.” He’s worked with them for the past 10 years, beginning when he walked a beat around Central Square. His fellow officers watched him talking to homeless men and women in a way that gradually built trust in a wary, hard-to-reach group. “Eric was good,” says Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas. “He had an extraordinary skill set.”
Noticing that Eric’s interactions with the homeless were reducing the number of reported problems, the department created a homeless outreach program in 2007, comprised of Eric and another officer, Matt Price.
Comments
It is interesting to note how the public glosses over these importatnt acts of public servants. Pols ramble on about costs and taxes ignoring the hard work and effort so many put into their jobs. You don't see anyone leaping forward and saying see that "union" cop does great work. The headlines will be the cost of PD overtime. Oh well working for the public has always been fairly thankless, but rewarding.
It is a thankless job, and the thing is, the best public service workers don't expect to be thanked. The rewards come from seeing someone they've helped succeed.
Kudos to Officer Helberg. In many communities the response is to just lock people up, because its easier than exercising judgment. Many homeless also have mental illnesses in conjunction with addictions. Officer Helberg brings up a good point about priorities when referring to the can collectors. It also applies to rehab and psychiatric therapy. It's a huge challenge trying to get an addict with a psychotic illness to see the difference between self-medication (drug abuse) and therapeutic medication (lithium, zyprexa, etc.).
So you got a sad person who is an alcoholic (addicted)...because of the additiction he has bad health including failing liver (sick), his family and friends are no longer willing to deal with him (friendless), he can't hold a job (jobless), because he has no job, he has no money (poor), and because he is poor he has not home (homeless).
So why in the world do you describe bpeople like this as "homeless"? Homelessness is just one characterstic in a panoply of problems, none of which derive from being homeless. I guess its because it makes the unthinking sympathetic, and makes it easier to build support for services, orgs, etc. etc.
But words are important, and the use of the word "homeless" to describe the groups of people to which we apply it, merely ensure we can feel good while avoiding what may actually save their lives.
Why are the numbers of homeless increasing across the country?
Why are the numbers of unemployed persons increasing across the country?
Why are the numbers of the working poor increasing and Americans dropping from the middleclass?
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR THE poor, the homeless and the unemployed to guide and support them back into society? Why are the working middle class becoming the working poor?
There are hundreds of organizations receiving money from donations while also getting funding from the federal & state government. There are also hundreds of government programs _ SO, WHY ARE WE NOT SEEING ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE OVERALL WELFARE OF THE AMERICAN CITIZENS?
There is something terribly wrong with this picture.
Thank you Officer Helberg. You are making a difference in all of our lives here in Central Square.