Community Paramedics, Officer Provide Needed Homeless Outreach

OREGON CITY, OR — Community Paramedic Amy Jo Cook knows she isn't the one who can build all the tiny homes, or provide all the meals, or deliver all the health services needed by homeless folks in Clackamas County, but she does know that she can bring the people who can deliver those resources together in one place.

On Thursday, Nov. 16, Cook and Clackamas Fire District #1 will host the inaugural Resource Fair at Barclay Park, 711 12th St. in Oregon City, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair, according to fire district spokesman Steve Hoffeditz, is "designed to bring community resources to citizens who need them most within Clackamas County."

Among those resources are the Community Paramedic program and the Multi-Agency Homeless Outreach Project. Hoffeditz said these two programs, along with the district's partnerships with other collaborative agencies, help Clackamas County public safety officials respond to more than 20,000 911 calls each year — 70 percent of which are medical in nature, Hoffeditz added.

Funded this year by a $10,000 grant from the Clackamas County Small Grants Program, Hoffeditz said the Community Paramedic's Multi-Agency Homeless Outreach Project (HOP) allows Clackamas Fire personnel "to better assist all residents within Clackamas County with emphasis on homelessness."

Spearheading this huge undertaking are two community paramedics and one Oregon City police officer.

Clackamas Fire's Cook and American Medical Response's Dan Hall work together in a cost-effective, sustainable manner to ensure no Clackamas County resident's needs go unmet.

From purchasing and delivering groceries to providing in-home medical assistance, Hall and Cook do it all.

"Amy Jo and I collaborate on many different levels to bring Community Paramedicine to all areas of Clackamas County so that no citizen in need is untouched," Hall said in a statement.

Partnering with Cook and Hall is OCPD Homeless Liaison Officer Mike Day, who provides the initial point of contact that directs Cook and Hall to wherever help is needed most.

"Ms. Cook and I will continue to work together to reduce homelessness in the community," Day said in a statement. "We share a common mission of connecting individuals in need of resources with available resources."

Together, this trio of public safety professionals bridge the gap for those who may not know where to get the resources they need, and the Resource Fair Nov. 16 provides a daytime venue for individuals to instead go to the resources — rather than wait for the resources to come to them.

"I'm not going to end homelessness," Cook said. "But if I can help connect people who can, that's what I want to do."

The initial push for the fair, Cook told Patch on Thursday, was simply to provide the largely expensive flu shots people living outdoors really need. But as she continued to learn more about the needs of the homeless and what their lives are like on a daily basis, she came to understand the homeless crisis a little better.

"We realized most our frequent callers also had a mental health component what wasn't being cared for," she said. "And no matter how many appointments you set up for either need, people were slipping through the cracks."

Too many appointments for someone who either relies on public transit or their own two feet for transportation is challenging and ultimately ineffective, Cook explained.

"Going to an appointment is low on any list that includes food, shelter, and safety," she said. "Maybe if we bring everything to one spot, maybe we would have a better chance of getting people connected."

Since beginning the outreach project almost two years ago, Cook has already seen a change in the number of calls from her frequent callers — from 174 calls in 2016 by just 12 people to 51 calls this year.

"Connecting people to programs, letting them know what's out there, is huge," Cook said. "I'm just thankful the district has given me the latitude to reach more people."

The program and fair will help connect folks to medical and mental health care, homelessness prevention through eviction mitigation, and a plethora of other county services, including:

• Riverstone Behavioral Health, which will offer insurance sign-ups and information on peer support groups — other folks who've been through homelessness and know what that life can be like;
• MSeed — a mother-daughter team who specialize in kicking addictions through a intensive detox regimen;
• The Clackamas Housing Authority;
• The Transition Center, which helps people go from being in jail to back in the public;
• Connections, for employment opportunities;
• American Medical Response; and
• the Oregon City Police Department homeless liaison.

This post has been updated to include comments and information from Community Paramedic Amy Jo Cook.

Photos Courtesy: Clackamas Fire District #1