- Shelters provide services to a variety of homeless folk, including those with mental illnesses, so expect there to be a range of behaviors from the clients that you'll encounter around and in the public areas of the shelters
- Go to the shelters in teams of minimum of two, at least one male
- Be calm and upbeat, smile, nod, acknowledge clients on your way in, but you probably should not engage clients in conversation to save time
- Shelters generally have "front desks", a guard, or someone who you should:
- Introduce yourself
- Ask who you could speak to about helping to find your friend who is a "critical missing" person with Alzheimer's Disease, has the cognitive functioning of a 5 yr old and has been missing for 4 days
- We, her friends, are incredibly concerned and need your help and the help of your shelter
- Show the poster for Nancy
- The goal is to find a manager-type who you can talk to, re-explain, and provide copies of the flyer
- While you are there, survey the public areas to see if she might be there
- On the way out, thank the folks that helped you find the manager
Nancy's Remains Found. Nancy's partial skeletal remains have been identified. She passed in difficult terrain prior to March 11, 2017.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Guidance on Shelter Visits in Search of Nancy Paulikas
We went to a few shelters yesterday and have teams going to more shelters today. Based on our experience here are some suggestions for how to most effectively get our messages to the Shelter Staff.
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We are doing our best to spread the word. Could you create a Facebook page as well? It's an easy way to spread the word. I have reached people at Park La Brea where they are putting up the flyers. I've posted on our Mar Vista Nextdoor and suggest that you encourage that in every community. I've shared this post with people who are homeless activists and asked if there is a way to distribute it to shelters city wide. Sending love and hope!
ReplyDeleteI have it up on my facebook page; and it has been shared broadly. If we make a Facebook page, won't we have to monitor that as well? (Also, I don't have that sort of facebook skills, do you?) Can we make a FB page that directs them to the Blog and ask for responses just to that?
Deletethanks
I've posted on my own Facebook page and am going to post on the Nextdoor site as well. Though I live out in Pacific Palisades, surely there are neighbors who work in the downtown/mid-city area. Can't hurt to spread the word.
DeleteKirk, my mother has early-onset dementia and this story is so close to home. I would be happy to create a Facebook page and monitor it closely for you if that is something you'd be interested in. I want to help. I live in LA also so please let me know if there's anything else I can do.
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