Small Acts, Big Impacts - Going Out of the Way to Help a Woman Who Lost Her Way

Every day, staff in City departments work together to enhance safety and quality of life in our community – sometimes in unexpected ways.

On one particular day, a wheelchair-bound woman was spotted living in a tent off of Prairie Street. The woman was huddled under her makeshift shelter, surrounded by her dogs, cats and assorted personal items. A series of circumstances brought the woman here from Indiana. Her plans had not panned out and now she found herself in an unfamiliar place. With no battery life left on her cell phone, very little money and mobility challenges, she was overwhelmed and distraught.

St. Charles Police Officer Timothy Beam and Code Enforcement Officer Rob Surratt arrived at the scene. Surratt convinced the woman to go to Lazarus House where she would have access to resources to help her. So he, Officer Beam and Building and Code colleague Steve Herra, loaded up their vehicles with the woman’s belongings to take to the shelter, and saw to temporary care for her pets.

Surratt contacted PACE Paratransit to accommodate safe transport of the woman and her wheelchair, and proceeded to Lazarus House, where she thanked him profusely for his assistance. When Surratt followed up the next day, he was glad to hear the woman was able to contact a friend in Indiana who came to bring her and her beloved pets back home.

The professionals in the City of St. Charles Building and Code Enforcement Division work closely with residents and business to maintain compliance to City ordinances that safeguard public health, safety and welfare, to issue permits and monitor construction projects.

This year, Governor Quinn designated April as National Code Enforcement Officer Appreciation Month in recognition of the high level of customer service demanded by these positions, the critical role they play in improving living and working conditions, and difference these individuals make each day in local communities throughout Illinois.

While not typical of his everyday duties, Surratt took personal responsibility in resolving this unusual situation with compassion, dignity and respect. “You do what you can to help out,” said Surratt, a life-long public servant who joined the City of St. Charles 18 years ago after serving in the Air Force for six. “You can’t say it’s not my job. As government workers, we are here to serve the people.”