The Next Stop: METRO's Podcast Episode 52: METRO PD's C.A.R.E. Team is Helping Those in Need Officer Franklin: That smile, that joy, that little beam of light that goes off in their eyes just lets us know that we’re doing something right. Doug Delony: I’m Doug Delony. On this edition of the Next Stop: METRO Police help keep our transit system moving securely, and they help those in need! [Introduction music play] Doug Delony: Today, on the Next Stop, we welcome members of METRO Police Department’s C.A.R.E Team, which was formed just a few months ago. Officer Franklin, along with Community Intervention Specialist, Moriah Ojo, welcome to the podcast. Moriah, I want to start with you. The C.A.R.E. Team, or C.A.R.E. Unit, C-A-R-E, what does that stand for? Moriah Ojo: So, C.A.R.E. stands for Crisis Assessment Response and Engagement. Doug Delony: And Officer Franklin, in short, how would you describe what the C.A.R.E. Team does? Officer Franklin: Short answer is, we’re a homeless outreach team that can help you with anything as simple as obtaining an ID all the way up to potentially getting housing, so anything in the middle, including those things. Moriah Ojo: For me, I come from the background of behavioral mental health. So, I’ve worked in quite a few different places. I’ve worked with women with eating disorders, suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation. I’ve worked in behavior hospitals. So, you know, doing treatment plans, assessment, things of that nature, kind of a clinical standpoint, but, I mean, I’m flexible. So, I’m enjoying the role that I’m in now. I am the clinician. Typically, we build partnerships outside of METRO for the population that we encounter as we do our patrols. So, anywhere from getting people clothing, getting people shelter, getting them a meal. We try to introduce ourselves to different agencies. Find out the work that they’re doing so that as we encounter people, we send them to the right places. Officer Franklin: So, we’re driving around constantly. Making these different connections with the different agencies and with the transient population of Houston as well. Doug Delony: Let’s talk about these patrols, and really, I want to talk about METRO overall real quick. This transit agency covers a very large area. About 1,300 square miles. We hear about METRO so much that some people forget or may not even realize that we actually serve multiple cities throughout our region, and being a police force for an agency with such a large area presents very unique challenges and opportunities. In particular, a police force for a transit agency. And that’s part of the reason that we have METRO Police. Other than patrols, Moriah, how do you find out about someone who may be in need of help? Moriah Ojo: Because Houston is quite large, I do think that the operators see a lot more than we can see, just the two of us. So, we often times speak with them. “Hey, if you find someone, reach out to us. Let us know their location so that we may make contact with them.” Typically, in the morning, we come in. We may have a call waiting for us through dispatch. So, we’ll head out and, you know, try to assess the situation if the individual maybe slept on the street that night before, so they may need breakfast. They may need a shower. They may need clothing. So, we would then talk amongst ourselves. Figure out where in the City we are and where we could direct them. Sometimes we give them a courtesy transport to the location and, you know, just making sure that their basic needs are met. Doug Delony: And earlier, you spoke about making connections with agencies and other community partners who can help. Tell us a bit more about that and how important these partnerships are for the C.A.R.E. Team. Moriah Ojo: We have good partnerships with H.O.P.E. Haven on the… Officer Franklin: Northside. Moriah Ojo: Northside. Officer Franklin: Yes. Moriah Ojo: We have a good partnership with Sonrise on the South… Officer Franklin: Northeast. Moriah Ojo: …Northeast side, and we typically call Salvation Army, maybe, like, once a week. We typically visit, search about once a week. Officer Franklin: Yeah. Moriah Ojo: I mean, those partnerships are very vital to the work that we’re doing because we definitely want to make sure that the population, they’re getting the services that they need. Officer Franklin: METRO does partner with Harris County Jail Diversion Program. And this Jail Diversion Program will help these individuals out obtain an ID, assign them case management, help them with their health assessment. Moriah Ojo: Hm. Officer Franklin: So, they’re seeing doctors. They’re getting clothing. They’re getting fed. To the point where eventually, they’re released back into society with IDs, medication, jobs, and, eventually, housing. And that program is growing, and it’s been a great resource for the both of us and throughout all agencies within Houston, Harris County. Moriah Ojo: Okay. Officer Franklin: So, it’s not just accessible to us. It’s accessible to other police agencies as well. Doug Delony: And certainly, there is a need for mental health care throughout our community, but Officer Franklin, you were telling me that we cannot always jump to conclusions when we see someone who may be in distress or need. Moriah Ojo: I was just speaking to my partner, I think, earlier this week, and it’s quite unfortunate that we label everything as a mental health issue. I was telling him, like, you know, perhaps if I was living on the street in Houston, and it’s 105 degrees, and I’m actually sleeping on the ground, and here I come, “Hey, can I help you? What can I do for you?” I may be disoriented. I may be dehydrated, and I may not be able to gather my thoughts correctly in that moment. Is that a symptom of mental illness? Maybe, maybe not, but, you know, I try my best not to label everybody, you know, depending on what they’re telling me. Officer Franklin: They’re still people. A lot of the public will step over them or not treat them as if that’s an adult. They’re still, they’re someone’s father. That’s someone’s brother, cousin. It could be one of us. Moriah Ojo: Hm. Officer Franklin: Circumstances could change any given day, and when we approach and speak to some people, they’re a little hesitant, but after a minute or two, and they hear the sincerity in our voices and that we’re standing out there in the sun with them. That lightbulb goes off, and they do get it. They’re really out here—and a lot of them just thank us, “Just thank you for talking.” And we’re trying to help them and go, “Okay, you need an ID. You need housing.” But they would just start sharing other stories with us. Moriah Ojo: Hm-hmm. Officer Franklin: Because they just want someone to talk to. So, yes, everything is not mental health. Any misconception is just, you know, they’re still people. Moriah Ojo: Hm-hmm. Officer Franklin: Knowing that I could be one paycheck away from that person. We don’t know why that person is on the street. We don’t know what circumstance occurred in their life that allowed this to happen. So, what keeps me going is knowing that that is someone’s family member. They may not even know that that person is living like this, and we’ve encountered that. There’s people from out of state that come here, and now they’re homeless. “Okay, well, where’s your family at?” “Louisiana.” “Do they know you’re here?” “No.” “Do they know you’re homeless?” “No.” “Can I reach out to them?” “Uh, sure.” And we make that phone call. So, like I said, it’s the humanity side that picks up. It’s knowing that that’s someone’s cousin. That someone’s relative. I don’t want them—we tell them all the time, “We don’t want you on the street. We want to see you doing better. Do you want that for yourself?” And then you start to see them thinking, “Yeah, I do want better.” And that smile, that joy, that little beam of light that goes off in their eyes just lets us know that we’re doing something right. Doug Delony: And from the rider perspective, what should someone do if they see someone who needs help or they think might need some help? Officer Franklin: There’s call boxes on every platform. There’s call boxes at every Transit Center and Park and Ride. So, the public just needs to know that it’s not only just for emergency, 9-1-1 emergency calls. If you’re homeless and you’re looking for shelter, there’s things that can be done. Call that, push that button. That button will get routed to our dispatch, who then get it routed to us. I’m 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I’ve received calls at 2 a.m. Moriah Ojo: We are all in, like, a human experience. I’m no better, you know, than anyone that we encounter. As we said, you know, “If I lose my job today, then what am I going to do?” So, I try to keep that in mind and always just remain humble. Whatever circumstance that brought them to the place that we encounter them, we just try to do what we can to be that bridge for them. To get them back on whichever path that they’re looking to be on. Officer Franklin: Yes. Moriah Ojo: There’s no judgment. Everything that we’re offering is volunteer. We’re not forcing you to make any type of decisions. You’re not ready to work on anything today, no problem. When do you want us to come back? And we go back. Doug Delony: I know the C.A.R.E Team is new, but you both are already making a big impact. Is there a particular moment that stands out so far? Officer Franklin: We were actually notified by one of our fare inspectors. They’d encountered this mother ________ (9:52) few days. Just observing, seeing what’s going on. __________ (9:57) she was doing it for our safe haven. She knew there was always going to be someone of METRO, officials on the bus, and one of our fare inspectors actually spoke to her, casual conversation, “Hey, how are you doing? I’ve been seeing you this and that.” And come to know that the mother moved from New York, hoping for a better life down in Houston but hit hard times. That fare inspector notified a Sergeant, and that Sergeant contacted us. So, Ms. Moriah, she jumped right in, gathering the details from the fare inspector as well as the mother. Once we got key information from her, like, “Who are you? Why did you come down here?” That’s when the process really started to work. Because of the hard work that Ms. Ojo has put in, we’re actually able to get that mother and child housed that same day. She was able to get them into an emergency shelter. From that emergency shelter, we’re still working in the background. “Okay, what is your end goal?” It came up that she was like, “You know what? I want to go back to New York. That’s where my family is. I tried to come down here to be independent. It just didn’t work out well for us.” So, we were, like, “Okay.” We was able to actually contact her mother. Her mother was looking for her. She’s like, “We have her right here.” And her mother started to do a little praise dance, very excited about the news that she was safe and sound. We’re still working on how we’re gonna get her back to New York because she was homeless. She didn’t have any ______ (11:29). So, with our partnership, Ms. Ojo and I, we, making connections, came across a pastor, Mr. Joe Williams. He’s a local pastor here in Houston, and with his partnership, we were able to purchase a ticket for the mother and her child. We gathered snacks for her that was donated, and we were able to get that family back to New York. The son was 10 years old. Moriah Ojo: I think the reason why we acted so swiftly on her behalf is because we saw, like, the circumstances. She came here looking for work. It didn’t work out, and she just really, you know, she didn’t have any options. And you know, both of us, you know, our hearts went out to her, and so, she was very sincere. She was very open with us, and so, like, we told her, “Hey, we will find something for you.” Doug Delony: That’s wonderful. And I’m sure we’ll continue to hear about these touching stories, coming not just from the C.A.R.E Team but METRO PD overall. As we wrap up this conversation, I do want to bring in real quick METRO PD’s Lieutenant Buchanan. Thanks for joining us. Can you give us a little background on how the C.A.R.E. Team was formed? Lieutenant Buchanan: So, this process began as a collaborative vision between our CEO Tom Lambert and our Chief, Vera Bumpers. Even though we have had an officer assigned to the HPD Homeless Outreach Team for several years, we understand that a lot of homeless individuals will gravitate towards transportation transit systems. So, they and we felt the need to specifically address this issue for ourselves. To create our own team to target transit assets and areas specifically. We’re assigned to the HPD HOT Team. We’re basically doing whatever they do. But this team, the C.A.R.E. Team, is METRO-centric. Doug Delony: And you would agree that it is successful so far, right? Lieutenant Buchanan: Officer Franklin and Ms. Ojo, they have exceeded expectations. We really didn’t expect to be as far as we are right now. They have fostered relationships with several entities who work with the homeless population, and they’ve strengthened the relationships that we’ve had with our current partners, including HPD and Harris County. So, yes, we are making a difference. It’s not just a perception. It’s actually a reality. I can anticipate further expansion. We know that we’re accountable to the ridership as a stakeholder. If you see homeless on the train and you just care about that individual, let us know. So, as long as we know, then we can do something about it. Doug Delony: That’s great. Thank you, again, for joining us here on the Next Stop. And before we go, I want to introduce our listeners to METRO Police Officer Brian McDonough as well. Officer McDonough and some of his colleagues were recently recognized at the October METRO Board Meeting. They stepped up to help a young man in need. Take a listen to this story. Brian McDonough: I was coming in at the end of the shift for the last hour, and he met me at the door. And he was crying. He asked me if I spoke Spanish. He had $10 in his pocket, and he needed help to get reunited with his sister. He came over from Venezuela. He showed us paperwork from Immigration that he was processed through. They gave him a bus ticket to Houston, and here he was. I actually called my wife on the way home. She said, “You’ve done it before. Do it again.” So, I posted something up on my personal Facebook page, and I was able to get him a bus ticket to New York City to be reunited to his family. One of the other officers, Julianna Moreno, she out of her own pocket got him a cell phone, two pairs of shorts, socks, underwear, and just stuff that he needed for the trip. Definitely a team effort—a lot of the officers on my shift, Noe Gonzalez, Brendon Hernandez, Alex Carvajales. To this day I still, I talk to him to this day on my phone, and every time he texts me, I got to send it to the translation app. He tells me every day that he’s blessed that he met me and the other officers that helped him. He even gave me a charm off his necklace. When he handed it to me, he told me in Spanish, “Don’t forget me.” He is, he will be a lifelong friend. I believe that. Doug Delony: And if you want to see the video that goes with this story, check out METRO’s official YouTube channel. That wraps it up for this edition. Thank you to you, the listener, and all of our METRO riders out there. I’m Doug Delony. If you’d like to check out more episodes of the Next Stop and subscribe, you can find all the links you need on ridemetro.org. As always, drive less and do more with Houston METRO. [Music plays to end] RMETRO/pti:kh Page 1 of 1