What are you supposed to do when you encounter a mentally ill homeless person who seems to need help?

[Anonymous]

They need to be contacting the human services in their county. There are many programs and resources available. If they are refusing help or not eligible (non-citizen, in which case they can still go to food banks etc), then there is nothing anyone can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In this situation that’s when county police or state police show up.

If you call a “podunk” police department and it happens to be closed the department phone will automatically transfer the call to the local sheriff’s office. The call would have been answered. This phony did 75% of the homework necessary to try and pass this story off as true.

[Anonymous]

Don't make eye contact and cross to the other side of the street!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't make eye contact and cross to the other side of the street!

This is OP again. No I’m not making this story up. When I called the police dept nobody answered and it didn’t transfer me which is how I ended up calling the fire dept who told me to call 911. I don’t like calling 911 and clogging up their line unless there’s an immediate emergency. In any case this woman needed help. Even if just to get clothing on her. She was just in a quilt making her vulnerable to the cold and to be honest predators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't make eye contact and cross to the other side of the street!

This is OP again. No I’m not making this story up. When I called the police dept nobody answered and it didn’t transfer me which is how I ended up calling the fire dept who told me to call 911. I don’t like calling 911 and clogging up their line unless there’s an immediate emergency. In any case this woman needed help. Even if just to get clothing on her. She was just in a quilt making her vulnerable to the cold and to be honest predators.

State and town please. There is no identifying information in that. It will clear up a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't make eye contact and cross to the other side of the street!

This is OP again. No I’m not making this story up. When I called the police dept nobody answered and it didn’t transfer me which is how I ended up calling the fire dept who told me to call 911. I don’t like calling 911 and clogging up their line unless there’s an immediate emergency. In any case this woman needed help. Even if just to get clothing on her. She was just in a quilt making her vulnerable to the cold and to be honest predators.

State and town please. There is no identifying information in that. It will clear up a lot.

West Pelzer SC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't make eye contact and cross to the other side of the street!

This is OP again. No I’m not making this story up. When I called the police dept nobody answered and it didn’t transfer me which is how I ended up calling the fire dept who told me to call 911. I don’t like calling 911 and clogging up their line unless there’s an immediate emergency. In any case this woman needed help. Even if just to get clothing on her. She was just in a quilt making her vulnerable to the cold and to be honest predators.

State and town please. There is no identifying information in that. It will clear up a lot.

West Pelzer SC.

When you call the West Pelzer Police non-emergency number after hours you are provided with the number for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't make eye contact and cross to the other side of the street!

I live in NYC and this is what I do. Living here has kind of hardened me. Some people are beyond help (and/or repeatedly choose not to take available help) and there are too many stories of normal people getting attacked when they try to engage, or even happen to cross paths, with these kinds of people.

I support making resources available and am fine with my taxes funding various types of assistance, but beyond that I give mentally ill people on the street a wide berth.

[Anonymous]

When asked for money, I always say “I’m sorry, sir/mam.” I’d rather acknowledge them in a polite but firm way. They’re human after all and I certainly don’t want to become a target of their delusions.

[Anonymous]

Wearing ONLY a blanket? Or a blanket vs a coat?

I looked up the town. It's the kind of town (in terms of size) where I grew up.

Your best bet would have been to go to the local cafe or gas station or grocery store and ask people there if they know the lady. If there is a relative to call or someone else who has some kind of ovesight for this lady, they will know who that person is.

If the person was really not wearing other clothes (at least pants and shirt), I would lean towards them having actually be the victim of an sexual or physical assault and when calling 911 I would lean towards making them think that there is an emergency.

After all, you don't KNOW if this person always wanders around in that state or if the person does have mental illness but has ALSO experienced an emergency. If town to small to have a hospital look for urgent care. You could have also asked fire department for emergency number for local mental health/adult protection services because there probably is one.

[Anonymous]

I would give her 20 piece chicken nuggets and a bottle of water.

Food is always welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't make eye contact and cross to the other side of the street!

This is OP again. No I’m not making this story up. When I called the police dept nobody answered and it didn’t transfer me which is how I ended up calling the fire dept who told me to call 911. I don’t like calling 911 and clogging up their line unless there’s an immediate emergency. In any case this woman needed help. Even if just to get clothing on her. She was just in a quilt making her vulnerable to the cold and to be honest predators.

State and town please. There is no identifying information in that. It will clear up a lot.

West Pelzer SC.

When you call the West Pelzer Police non-emergency number after hours you are provided with the number for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

The phone number I called just rang and no message was left. That’s how I ended up calling the fire dept. who told me to just call 911. I would imagine if there was another non emergency number that was better to call they’d give it to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In this situation that’s when county police or state police show up.

If you call a “podunk” police department and it happens to be closed the department phone will automatically transfer the call to the local sheriff’s office. The call would have been answered. This phony did 75% of the homework necessary to try and pass this story off as true.

Not true. 911 gets answered. Non-emergency number does not

[Anonymous]

The situation is so out of control. If disabilities advocates keep advocating that mentally ill people have the right to refuse treatment and medication then the ALL laws should absolutely apply to them.

So if the lady is so out of it that she refuses help then she should be arrested for disturbing the peace. If she is hostile when arrested that should be a charge as well. Incarceration is a better life than living on the streets like that. And it is easier to involuntarily medicate a convicted inmate due to their reduced liberty interests compared to a person on the streets brought into the ER.

This is because the state has a strong interest in managing the prison population safely and ensuring the inmate's well-being, which often outweighs the inmate's liberty interest in refusing medication.

It is wrong what we are doing to poor and working class communities that have so mentally ill unstable people wandering around. If you are more affluent you can live in an area that is more secure and you can drive your own car to work instead of having to deal with public transportation where so many violent, mentally ill people are having out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In this situation that’s when county police or state police show up.

If you call a “podunk” police department and it happens to be closed the department phone will automatically transfer the call to the local sheriff’s office. The call would have been answered. This phony did 75% of the homework necessary to try and pass this story off as true.

Not true. 911 gets answered. Non-emergency number does not

Call the number. There is a recording. Follow the directions. I did it last night around midnight.