Help for the homeless in Ocean City
OCEAN CITY, Md. – One by one, the homeless are being taken off the streets in Ocean City, and it’s all thanks to the work of the Worcester County Homeless Outreach Team.
Jessica Sexauer, the Director of the Worcester County Local Management Board said, “The members of the team are going out on a pretty regular schedule, they go out every other week, they are being persistent and just reaching out to the individuals that might need some help or support.”
Even though the Outreach Team was created just a few months ago, they have already gotten an impressive amount of people off of the streets and into housing.
Lt. Dennis Eade with the Ocean City Police Department said, “A total of eight have been housed of the 15 to 20 that we’ve identified as chronically homeless in Ocean City.”
Sexauer explained, “So we have some that have been placed in housing, some that are in our shelters, and we have some that have gone on to receive some medical treatment in long term care facilities.”
We’re told this is an achievement that wouldn’t have been made possible if everyone didn’t work together as a team.
The Homeless Outreach Team is a partnership between the Worcester County Health Department, Local Behavioral Health Authority, Department of Social Services, Ocean City Police Department, Diakonia, Ocean City Crisis Coalition, and Atlantic General Hospital.
Lt. Eade said, “Now we go out as a group and we can see the work that is being done. It helps us to better identify the homeless what each individual needs and what we as a team coming from different disciplines can help the individual homeless.”
This group does more than just provide housing, they provide crucial services to those who have fallen on hard times.
Lt. Eade said, “Getting the homeless ID’s, getting them birth certificates, getting them in touch with potential employers, getting them medical care, that’s important, getting them to a medical facility so they can get the proper medical care, those are all the things that are being done with the Homeless Outreach Team.”
Since the team has been so successful in Ocean City, they’re hoping to expand their services to the rest of Worcester County.
If you are interested in taking part in this effort, you can attend a public meeting hosted by the Outreach Team on January 9th to express any problem solving ideas you may have.
You are also encouraged to provide canned food or cash donations to faith-based partners, so that they can continue to help the homeless during these cold winter months.
