The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Homeless Outreach Team help an individual that has been homeless for 20 years obtaining housing
SCSO
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Homeless Outreach Team is thrilled to announce that today they assisted in obtaining housing for a subject who has been homeless for over 20 years. Since 2000, Noel Levitt has been living outdoors in the northern part of Sarasota County. In 2018, when our Homeless Outreach Team met Mr. Levitt, he did not want assistance, but our team never gave up. Through continued care and engagement, the Homeless Outreach Team was able to work with Mr. Levitt to gain his trust and support. With his cooperation, the Homeless Outreach Team applied for and received his birth certificate, social security card, and Florida Identification, thereby allowing him to obtain housing. Together with the assistance of Streets of Paradise and Angel’s Attic, two local non-profit agencies, we were able to furnish his apartment and set him up for success moving forward.
The Homeless Outreach Team was created in June 2018 and is currently comprised of six dedicated individuals; Sergeant James Darby, Deputies William Spitler and JP Hernandez, along with Case Managers Leah Hayes, Shelley Williams and Dawn Reif.
Through outreach efforts as highlighted above, the team works to establish relationships of trust with homeless individuals in order to educate, encourage and guide them to connect with social services and agencies throughout Sarasota County. In 2019 alone, they were able to introduce services to 584 new homeless individuals in Sarasota County. Team members focus on housing, providing veteran assistance, and identifying medical services for mental health and substance abuse.
