spotlight
HomelessOutreach
Each year as a condition to receive
grant funding from HUD related to
homelessness in Arlington, the City
of Arlington is required to conduct a
count of homeless individuals in our
community. Typically, the count is
conducted in the middle of winter and
during the nighttime
so that it is easier to
document individuals
who may have
sought refuge in an
emergency shelter.
Back in 2009 when
the city implemented
our homeless plan,
it was based in part
on feedback from
interviews of over 100
homeless persons
conducted by the
UT-Arlington’s School
of Social Work. One
of the questions researchers
asked was for homeless
individuals to rank their
greatest assets in their community.
The recurring theme was that
Arlington Police came in as the
third most cited asset in the city.
“It’s absolutely unheard of for
our homeless to have such a
positive relationship with local
law enforcement,” according to
Stephanie Gillespie who serves as
the department’s
Community Support
Manager.
Officer Sheila Griffith
also works in the
Community Support
Unit and serves as
the department’s
community outreach
liaison. Officer Griffith
is responsible for
homeless outreach
efforts that benefit those
who are less fortunate in
our community.
09