LPD is ‘out and about’ checking on homeless people in the heat
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The City of Lincoln is giving people places to escape the dangerous heat in the forecast this week.
The city is activating its heat plan, which includes keeping libraries and community centers open longer and partnering with local nonprofits to keep the homeless safe.
“Myself and the CenterPointe Street Outreach Team are trying to keep track where people are at, where known encampments are at, then try to get people water, sunscreen, bug spray, get them to the cooling stations that have been set up,” said Investigator Melissa Ripley, a coordinator with the Lincoln Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Program.
Ripley said her team is already on the streets.
“We are out and about already, taking calls that are coming through our alternate response line, and then also, we are also out just checking on people and trying to find people that we know are unsheltered,” she said.
Ripley said sometimes those who are homeless don’t know they may need help.
“A lot of the times, when you’re unsheltered, you don’t necessarily think of yourself as being dehydrated or being exposed to the heat,” she said. “It’s just kind of a normal thing, and so a lot of people don’t know, necessarily, what they need to be doing to take care of themselves.”
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