It Takes a Village! How One Politician, One Police Officer, and One SOAR Provider Came Together to Support a Citizen in Need

By Suzanne Straub, SOAR Coordinator in Vancouver, Washington 

Officer Tyler Chavers who is with the Vancouver Police Department attended a community meeting at City Hall a few months ago. After hearing my presentation on PATH and SOAR, he jumped at the opportunity to connect the civilians he encounters on duty to valuable resources. Officer Travers called and asked for assistance with a gentleman who was experiencing chronic homelessness and had a severe hearing impairment. Officer Travers met with a SOAR outreach worker and introduced her to the gentleman in need of support.

Since that time, Officer Chavers has followed up multiple times in an effort to locate the gentleman and assist with getting the man’s SSI benefits reinstated. He located the gentleman in jail and offered to take him paperwork to be filled out. Officer Chavers has called about other individuals experiencing homelessness who are in need of resources and repeatedly shows his care and concern for their well-being.

I shared Officer Chaver’s story in our agency’s monthly online newsletter. His recognition for “Outstanding Service” has been shared over 60 times on Facebook! How did this happen you might wonder? Vancouver City Council Member, Anne McEnerny-Ogle, saw his recognition and shared it on her Facebook page. As we all know, things tend to spread off Facebook and Officer Chavers’ great work is no exception. 

If that wasn’t enough, I learned that Ms. McEnerny-Ogle had one-on-one contact with the gentleman experiencing homelessness whom Officer Chavers had encountered and referred to SOAR. Ms. McEnerny-Ogle sat outside with this man and shared a conversation with him in writing. She asked him his name, told him hers, and asked how she could help him. She notified Officer Chavers that he was in need of additional resources. They kept in touch about his progress. 

It is with great pride that this story is shared again because of the tremendous outcome. This gentleman has been assisted by the City Council, the Vancouver Police Department, and Community Services NW/SOAR and has now been approved for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration! Not only did he receive an outstanding $9,000 in back payments, he will also receive $848 a month in disability income. These benefits open up many opportunities for him.

Thank you so much for your dedicated work in our community and for your continued support to the individuals you encounter. Sometimes all they need is someone to listen and care, and Officer Chavers is definitely a great example of that!