This Week in Homelessness with Daniel McDonald

This is a recording of my presentation to the 2024 National Sheriffs' Association Winter Conference in Washington, D.C.

I cover issues such as:

• How did homelessness, addictions and mental illness become a law enforcement issue?
• How to navigate the politics of these issues (and not lose the next election)
• Redefining the sheriff’s role in the 21st Century: You can no longer “stay in your lane

Legal issues...

There are different schools of thought about homeless outreach: You agency may do contact-driven outreach. You have a glancing impact upon lots of people. Activity is more important than performance or end-results.

I prefer impactful outreach. I work with less clients, but spend more time, often years, to resolve their needs. Patience and persistence are my key tools.

In this episode, I discuss some of my success ...

Defunding the police is an idea that has gained momentum. In this episode I discuss why this is a bad idea and what society would be like without the police.

Links I mentioned:

There's a growing call to defund the police. Here's what it means

The Social Contract

National Policing Recommendations

Visit my website at: https://www.homelesspolice.com or @HomelessPolice

In this episode:

Amy Varle checks in from Manchester, England to discuss social housing, homeless pet policies, COVID-19 and her own journey from homelessness to Number 10 Downing Street.

• Amy Varle from Manchester, England is one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs and homelessness experts in the UK
• She is a leading voice and advocate for Housing First
• In 2016, Amy was awarded a travelling fellowship from the Winston Chur...

NewsRadio WFLA's Felix Vega interviews Tampa Police Department Homeless Outreach Officer Dan McDonald on how they are partnering with Catholic Charities to open 100-person tent camp to provide temporary shelter, while working to find homeless residents permanent housing and services while also coping with their day-to-day fears about the Coronavirus in another vulnerable population.

Listen to the original interview on...

In This Weeks Segment:

Even in challenging times there is hope. The Voices of Our City Choir have raised homeless San Diegans’ voices through their performances and advocacy.

What started as a grassroots effort has blossomed into a choir with about 160 regular participants who have performed at a slew of events and even collaborated with the San Diego Symphony”.

John Brady checks in from San Diego to disc...

Homeless service providers are scaling back operations in many communities to prevent illness amongst their staff and volunteers. Social service agencies have closed their offices or transitioned to serving their clients via telephone or by appointment only. Drop-in centers have closed. Soup kitchens have stopped serving in dining rooms, often providing to-go meals. Libraries and other public facilities formerly available to the ho...

On this week's episode:

• A recap of our Point-in-Time count (homeless census), with a shout-out to my police colleagues, and how we share encampment data with volunteer surveyors.
  
  
• How the science of queue (line) management can reduce waiting times at soup kitchens, homeless agencies and other organizations that serve the homeless. This is the same science used by airlines and restaurants to reduce wait times, along ...

On this week's episode:

Introduction

• You’re listening to “This Week in Homelessness with Daniel McDonald” for Tuesday, February 18, 2020
• This is the inaugural episode
• We will talk about all things homeless – discussing issues such as:
  • The latest news
  • Commentary and analysis of current homeless topics

 
About Me

• I’ve worked in the trenches of police homeless outreach for 8 years – 16,000 hours
  • I’ve seen wha...