The leaders of the new LIFT Program, Treasure Island Fire Chief Trip Barrs and Treasure Island Police Chief John Barkley outside of the police and fire station
Trip Barr
Treasure Island doesn’t have a homeless program.
“We call them our residents without addresses,” Treasure Island Fire Chief, William Barrs, said.
The Treasure Island Police Department and the Treasure Island Fire Department partnered to help homeless people attain needed services in 2019. Recently, the departments expanded their programs to introduce the Life Intervention Focus Team. LIFT assists vulnerable populations with medical treatment, mental health assistance, and rehabilitation programs for issues relating to substance and drug abuse.
Treasure Island Police Chief John Barkley told The Gabber that between 10 and 12 “residents without addresses” individuals call the island home.
“We spend a lot of time and a lot of our services, a lot of police time with them, a lot of EMS and ambulance services with them, which takes away officers’ and firefighters’ from doing other things,” Barkley said. “What we wanted to do is try to find long-term solutions to this. Arresting the homeless person isn’t going to solve anything.”
The foundation is currently undergoing the process of getting its 501(c)3 status.
“What we’re trying to do is direct resources for those that want help,” Barkley, said. “It’s just frustrating to us because we’re just not equipped or set up to provide the social services that are necessary. So, a lot of the citizens are frustrated that we’re not actively fixing the problem,” Barkley explained that the police and fire departments do what they can, transport injured people to the hospital, arrest those who commit crimes, but the “residents without addresses” return to Treasure Island.
Instead of repeating the same motions, Barrs told The Gabber the police and fire departments set out to “find a way to provide those all-encompassing services, in the social services realm that will actually help them if they want to get out of the homelessness that they’re in. So to that end, we want to empower the citizens that are so active in bringing it to our attention, [to] give them an opportunity to really be a part of the solution, the long-term solution.”
Currently, police and firemen serve as the founders and brains behind L.I.F.T. Once granted approval, Barrs mentioned “commision-appointed citizen volunteers” will take over to run necessary daily operations for L.I.F.T.
“As a fire chief, it makes me feel good to know that we’re doing something to kind of curb the EMS calls that we get that are just for somebody sleeping on the sidewalk,” Barrs said.
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