"I'll heal," she says. "We'll be okay. I'm not dirt. I'm just homeless. We're homeless. And we're trying to get help."

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1 Hollywood Police Department hires social worker to help provide outreach to homeless -... Page 1 of 5 Local News I Broward News I Hollywood News New homeless expert brings hope, help to Hollywood's down and out Laurie-Anne Walton is a social worker recently hired by the Hollywood Police to work with the homeless. By Susannah Bryan Contact Reporter Sun Sentinel MARCH 15, 2015, 8: 05 PM I HOLLYWOOD,, If we were in a home, we could hide away. You can't hide out here." Lori Kaye weeps outside the public restrooms at Hollywood's ArtsPark, where she, her boyfriend and their dog Django have lived for the past two weeks. ''I'm too old for this," says Kaye. "I'm 54." A robber's attack the night before left her with a black eye. "I'll heal," she says. "We'll be okay. I'm not dirt. I'm just homeless. We're homeless. And we're trying to get help."

2 Hollywood Police Department hires social worker to help provide outreach to homeless -... Page 2 of 5 That's where Laurie-Anne Walton comes in, a special emissary in Hollywood's effort to end homelessness. A licensed social worker hired last year by Hollywood Police Chief Frank Fernandez, Walton works closely with police to help the city's homeless. The approach is exceptional in that a social worker, not a cop, is in charge. Hollywood is an example of a national trend: Using a hybrid homeless outreach model to tackle a chronic problem, Walton says. The goal is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and social services by teaming Walton with a police officer to provide street-level outreach. "I'm trying to build rapport and not come off as authoritative or intrusive," Walton said as she walked through the ArtsPark, where a dozen or so folks were living out in the elements. "Part of social work is building a relationship." It was Walton who listened to Lori Kaye and her Army veteran boyfriend. And it was Walton who found the couple and their dog a place to stay that very same day. "I get out there and meet people face-to-face" Walton said. "When I spend time with them and get to know what their story is, they tell me no one has sat and talked to them in they can't remember how long." Walton assesses their needs and refers them to services. She provides transportation herself or doles out bus passes as needed. She can help replace identification cards, arrange addiction treatment or find a shelter. Last fall, Fort Lauderdale made international news when it clamped down on outdoor feedings of the homeless and arrested a go-year-old activist for doing just that. Then, in February, a veteran Fort Lauderdale officer was caught on video slapping a 58-year-old homeless man after knocking him to the ground. Hollywood is hoping to avoid such notoriety. Cody Coker, a self-described free spirit at 21, says he's been smoking marijuana since age 12. His mom was a crack addict who took delight in using his arm as an ashtray, he says. He wears sweatshirts to hide the scars. Don't ask about his dad. He never met him, he says. Coker's friends call him Sloth, he says, because he loves to sleep in trees just like the one he's sitting under now at the ArtsPark. 2/1/20 16

3 Hollywood Police Department hires social worker to help provide outreach to homeless -... Page 3 of 5 "I don't want to go to a shelter," he tells Walton. "I'd feel like I was in jail. I go where the wind takes me." According to official estimates, nearly 3,000 people are homeless in Broward County. Broward's annual homeless tally showed approximately 1,250 people living on the street. Of those, 115 are in Hollywood. But that's likely an undercount, Walton said, and the true number could be much higher. Broward has a total of only 6oo beds at three emergency shelters in Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach and Hollywood. Nationally, about half the homeless are in shelters. More than one-third are between 31 and so; and a majority, 62 percent, are men. One out of four suffers from mental illness. An estimated 35 percent are addicted to drugs or alcohol. The Hollywood Police Department is one of only three in Broward with a dedicated homeless outreach program, Walton says. The other two - Fort Lauderdale Police Department's Homeless Outreach Unit and the Homeless Outreach Team at the Broward Sheriffs Office - rely on law enforcement officers to intervene in crisis situations and help provide referrals to housing, medical care and social services. "Police officers are the first responders," Walton said. "They do not always have the resources to address the root problems. The cycle of homelessness is not solved by citing people or taking them to the hospital or jail." Hollywood's chief says 88 officers have been trained in crisis intervention for the homeless. And, the chief added, the entire department has been asked to treat all people with respect and dignity - including the homeless. But officers are at a disadvantage: They aren't trained social workers, Fernandez said. "I wanted an expert in that field to assist us with this chronic issue," he said. "Law enforcement is not equipped for long-term resolutions. Laurie-Anne does that for us. She provides the follow through." Chain-smoking Andrew James Groncki, 22, likes to hang with his crew at the ArtsPark. His friends call him Ginger, compliments of his.flaming red hair. Born in Dublin, he was adopted by an American family when he was 8, he says. He left home at 16 when they told him he couldn't smoke pot or cigarettes. sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/hollywood/fl-homeless-coordinator-hollywood-... 2/1/20 16

4 Hollywood Police Department hires social worker to help provide outreach to homeless -... Page 4 of 5 He lives at the track at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, where he walks horses. But he knows what it's like to be down and out. '1 was homeless for two years in Fort Lauderdale," he says. "I got arrested for sleeping under the bridge near the Galleria Mall. Then I was homeless for five months in Hallandale. And for two years in Hollywood." He spent a couple months at the Homeless Voice shelter on Federal Highway in Hollywood last year, but didn't relish the experience. "Too many bedbugs," he says. Sean Cononie, pied piper to the homeless and founder of the Homeless Voice shelter in Hollywood, leaves town at the end of March. For years, his two-story shelter at 1203 Federal Highway has taken in the folks no one else would. In October, Hollywood agreed to pay Cononie $4.8 million to leave town for 30 years and close his homeless shelter along with nine other Hollywood properties. Soon after the city takes ownership, the homeless shelter will be demolished and the land sold. Many of the homeless staying at the shelter plan to leave town with Cononie. But Walton is ready to step in to help those staying behind. "I'd love 10 of her," said Meredith Eirich, a Hollywood officer assigned to shadow Walton during her outreach missions. "She's that link that we need. A lot of homeless are reluctant to talk to officers." Cononie says he thinks Walton can make a difference- even though she's just one person. "She actually cares," he said. "And because she cares, I think that has a good impact on the people she does find. One person can do a lot." After going on a ride-along with Walton, City Commissioner Kevin Biederman marveled at her rapport with the homeless. "She has the ability to take down that wall that a uniformed police officer might not have," Biederman said. "When you see a police officer, you clam up. But she has that ability to break down that wall. They realize she is there to help them." A homeless man in a hat walks up to Walton and asks if she remembers him. 2/1/2016

5 Hollywood Police Department hires social worker to help provide outreach to homeless -... Page 5 of 5 "Hi Irish," she answers with a smile. The man tells her he needs help getting an ID. Walton says she can help. He walks away happy. "God bless you all," he says. "God bless you." Jason Palgon, on the street for 10 years, has noticed a change in the way Hollywood officers speak to the homeless since Walton came onboard. "At one time it was really rough," he said. "They'd say, 'You can't be here, you can't breathe here, you can't be homeless here.' But things have changed since she came." If you are homeless and need help, call the Homeless Helpline at 211. To reach Walton, call or her at lwalton@hollywoodfl.org. sbryan@tribpub.com or Copyright 2016, Sun Sentinel This article is related to: Homelessness sun-sentinel.corn/locallbroward/hollywoodlfl-homeless-coordinator-hollywood /20 16