Police, social services team up in new effort to help the homeless
EVERETT It was more a social call than anything else.
Teams of police officers and social workers spent their Thursday morning along the Snohomish River dropping in on homeless camps.
They didn't detain or arrest anyone, but did warn of that possibility down the road.
Mainly, they explained it is time to think about moving on or, preferably, getting some help to make a fresh start.
Nearby, big machines scooped and flattened earth where a 190-townhouse development is going in. Plans also call for more than 200 single-family homes to the south.
That means traditional spots to pitch a tent are disappearing on and beyond the former Eclipse Lumber Mill lumber mill site east of I-5. The riverbank denizens find refuge along ribbons of greenbelt, burrowing in among the horsetails, alders and brambles.
The coordination between police and social service agencies and nonprofits is a new approach to an age-old challenge.
We are changing our culture. Ten years ago, officers would have thought, We are the police and we make arrests. That's what we do,' said Everett police Capt. John DeRousse. This is about putting our heads together and saying: How can we deal with this issue?'
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