With community resource officer, Astoria invests in homeless outreach

May 6—Over the course of a few hours on patrol, Kenny Hansen often checks in with the people living outside in Astoria. He seems to know everybody's name, their dog's names and details about their lives.

A veteran Astoria police officer, Hansen has developed relationships with the city's homeless population, including many people he has known for years. People on the streets don't avoid him. Instead, they often wave to him and walk up to his patrol car to share updates, ask for help or just talk.

Hansen asks what people need and tries to help, whether it's putting in a good word to a potential employer, picking up a razor and shaving cream or figuring out where they can park their car to sleep. He also offers to connect people to social services.

People trust him — even with information many wouldn't normally share with a police officer — and some refer to him as a friend or family.

"I love the people out here," Hansen said. "The relationships we have are a lot like family. We get along most of the time, and there's times we don't get along."

Hansen has taken on a new role as the police department's community resource officer. A lifelong Astorian, he has been with the department for over 30 years, and began serving as the homeless liaison in 2015. The new role is a natural next step, one that continues the department's work in community policing.

As the community resource officer, Hansen handles nearly all the calls related to homelessness.

"By being able to spend more time with the unsheltered community members means I am able to hopefully give them some structure to include accountability in their lives," he said. "I am also able to define what resources they need and get those to them. I have seen people change their behavior by knowing there is someone out there watching and knows they care."

Hansen described the role as a balancing act that requires listening and fairness. He has to balance the needs and problems of people who are homeless with the quality of life issues raised by business owners and residents often exasperated by behavioral problems.

In announcing the new assignment in late April, the police department was careful to frame Hansen's responsibilities as focusing specifically on concerns from businesses and residents related to community livability. The department cited issues such as abandoned shopping carts, derelict vehicles, camping, abandoned property, trash, public urination and disorderly conduct.

For some calls — including those dealing with mental health — Hansen will partner with a clinical staffer at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, Clatsop County's mental health and substance abuse treatment provider.

Benjamin Paz, the director of intensive services at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, commended Astoria for creating the new position.

"We're hoping that the adaptation of our combined services will lead to the development of similar teams of law enforcement professionals and mental health clinicians across Clatsop County," he said.

The increase in homelessness and drug and alcohol abuse in Astoria over his time as a police officer has been dramatic, Hansen said. He said police and social services agencies have to find ways to help despite the lack of affordable housing and important resources like in-patient addiction treatment that accepts public insurance.

Hansen estimates that most of the people he talks with on a daily basis are ready for housing and would transition from the streets if options were available.

"They don't want to be living in a travel trailer behind Safeway," he said. "It makes it tough for people that want to stay, want to be members of our community and provide for themselves."

When Hansen met Randy O'Neal in 2020, he was living in a tent with his wife and stepson near Alderbrook.

O'Neal and his family had moved from Tennessee after visiting Astoria. They liked the atmosphere, weather and walkability of the town. O'Neal's wife, who is a caregiver, was also able to earn more for her work in Oregon than in Tennessee.

The couple went back to Tennessee to pack and move, and on their way back to Astoria, their van broke down in Nevada. O'Neal said they eventually made their way to a town where a resident bought the family train tickets to Portland and bus tickets to Astoria.

On their first night in Astoria, they slept in sleeping bags near Safeway, and then moved to Alderbrook, where they lived for two months.

Hansen helped connect the family to Helping Hands, but O'Neal said the family was split up. It wasn't long until they moved back outside so they could be together. They slept at campsites at public parks before earning enough to move into Sunset Lake Campground and RV Park. Their son attends Warrenton Middle School, where he is on honor roll.

"I needed to find myself and get help," said O'Neal, who has struggled with depression and alcohol abuse. "And I came to Astoria, with the help of (Hansen) telling me where to go and get help and set me on the right path to follow."

Hansen also helped O'Neal and his wife marry by connecting them to a friend who is an officiant. They got married at Maritime Memorial Park on Memorial Day a couple of years ago.

"I think (Hansen's) wife picked it out," O'Neal said, laughing with Hansen.

Hansen said the interactions he has with people like O'Neal and seeing his progress are reminders the work is worth doing.

One of the hardest things he has learned is that not everyone can be helped.

"The biggest challenge is really helping people with their transition from such a chaotic life," Hansen said. "There are some that transition more easily than others and others aren't ready to transition yet."

But Hansen believes everybody has a chance.

"And there's no set number to how many chances they get because everybody's different," he said. "It may not work this time, this time, this time, but eventually it will work. Eventually, it will take."