Street Understanding

Having a good understanding of our current situation on the streets of Springfield is important to help you be effective and informed on Outreach.

Our team has helped to create a separate website called SpringfieldMOpoverty.com Here are articles and data that we encourage you to read and review:

• TCG’s Current Street Count

• Current Camp Protocols and suggested Camp Protocols

• Where do “they” come from?

• Panhandling Myths

• Bathroom Access

• Article Index of local and national articles related to poverty and homelessness

There are many other articles, blogs, and resources there for you to explore. We work hard to keep this site as updated as possible so be sure to bookmark it to use as a resource reference when on outreach.

The Power of a Name

Knowing people’s names are important.

Not everyone who lives on the street is comfortable giving out their real name so they may offer you a “street name” instead. No matter what name they give you- do your best to try to remember it and use it when you meet them again. You will be amazed at how much this small effort means to those that you will meet on the streets.

One of the best ways to learn names is to write them down in an outreach notebook or note on your phone with a description of some kind that you can refer to the next time that you are on that route or run into someone you have met before.

Trauma-Informed De-Escalation

99% of the time on outreach you are going to encounter people that are grateful and wonderful to work with. However, very rarely, we find ourselves dealing with a mental health crisis or escalated individual. This video gives some good insight on how to de-escalate a situation in a trauma-informed manner.

If you are ever in a situation where you do not feel safe or comfortable, you are always able to call me or a member of our staff for help, or if you feel that you or others are in danger call 911 for help.