In December 2016, city officials in La Crosse, Wisconsin, celebrated ending veteran homelessness. The goal was part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, which recently touted the success of 60 cities across the country that had reached the goal as of December. Unbeknownst to La Crosse city leaders, however, Brian Johnson, former U.S. Marine Corps, eluded their homeless veteran sweep, and was found in a tent city in May of last year.
Johnson was one of 16 homeless individuals living in a wooded area along the Mississippi River near Riverside North the city planned to address. But he seemed more receptive to accepting help the second time around, the La Crosse Tribune reported, as the possibility of a potential job loomed in the future. The homeless veteran had previously been working on mending broken bikes from his tent, a skill he picked up as a child from a neighborhood friend.
“I believe in working hard and playing hard,” Johnson said. “I’m a guy — I like to get my hands dirty. I like to work from a tent. The only thing you lose is your luxuries.”
Community Policing is Welcome
Though wary at first, those living in the woods near the river have come to see the regular visits of local police as benign and non-threatening. Neighborhood Resource Officers Alex Burg and Joel Miller said consistent visits and engagement is key to developing a rapport.
“When we first started coming, they were very stand-offish. But we’ve kinda broken down barriers,” Burg said.
The officers stop by to check on individuals and the site as a whole.
“We try to be overall positive and not confrontational at all, to build a little more trust,” Miller said.
The authority of the badge was not lost on Johnson, though.
“They’re down here to protect and serve. But if you do something wrong …”
From Ending Veteran Homelessness to Ending Homelessness
In October, the La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness set a goal to house 10 homeless families with children by Jan. 31, 2018. As of publication, the collaborative is 90 percent of the way to its goal.