August 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 41

Figure 2
first step to identifying root causes
of a person's experience of homelessness.
However, developing
person-to-person relationships and
connections with people experiencing
homelessness is not something
that comes naturally to most people.
Therefore, specific trainings on
outreach techniques, crisis intervention
and Mental Health First
Aid are good places to start.
Finally, respondents also agreed
departments should work to connect
persons to permanent housing
(70 percent) and collaborate with local
homeless service organizations
(69 percent). While it is not the role
of park and recreation staff to be social
workers or permanent housing
providers, one of the most powerful
tools a park and recreation professional
can have is simply knowing
about the homeless assistance resources
available in their community
(such as shelters, street outreach
teams, domestic violence services,
permanent housing providers and
treatment programs) and being able
to provide referrals. For example, if
a park and recreation professional
encounters an individual washing
their clothes in a park bathroom,
providing a referral
to the local
day-center where laundry services
are available is a productive and
likely non-punitive initial approach.
At the bottom of the list, respondents
were less likely to agree with
certain
strategies,
restrooms (91 percent) and showers
(47
percent). Thirty-two percent
provide shelter during periods of
inclement weather and another 30
percent provide access to computers
and telephones. Fifty-three percent
of agencies train staff on ways to
engage individuals experiencing
homelessness more effectively.
including strict
enforcement of trespassing/loitering
laws (55 percent), donating parkland
for affordable housing construction
(50 percent) and allowing persons
experiencing homelessness to live indefinitely
in parks (35 percent).
While there were generally high
levels of support from the public
about these specific assistance
strategies, existing data indicates
room for growth in the level of
support agencies could provide.
According to the Homelessness in Parks
report, only 54 percent of agencies
surveyed provide at least one type
of service to people experiencing
homelessness. Among these agencies
providing services, the most common
services are providing access to
A Leading Voice
From the Field
Greg White is the director for City
of Decatur - Active Living Division
in Decatur, Georgia, a suburb
of Atlanta. On a daily basis, he and
his staff interact with four or five
people experiencing homelessness
around the community center and
in the parks. As he explains, " Unhoused
individuals are in our parks
using benches, trails, restrooms
and find our parks as places to stay
cool during the summer months.
The pandemic has really put this
work in front of us daily as recreation
professionals. "
Despite the pandemic, this work
is not new for White. For years, his
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August 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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