Deputies reach out to homeless with compassion

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

There's a new way the Sheriff's department is using to deal with the homeless problem in the county. Deputies are assigned to two teams – one in North County and one in South County – to offer hope and support to individuals rather than making arrests.

"It's very satisfying," said Sgt. Aaron Montan, who heads the Homeless Assistance Resource Team "We see people on the verge of tears when we tell them we can get them a hotel room."

He said that providing temporary housing – through county-funded vouchers – is an important first step to help get a life bac...