HARTFORD, Conn — In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis Officer Jim Barrett has gotten creative, he’s needed to.
The hundreds of homeless “clients”, as Officer Barrett refers to them, can’t seek help at his office so Barrett is now bringing the office to them.
“What I did is I converted a bomb squad truck into a homeless mobile vehicle,” said Barrett.
These days Barrett is easy to spot in the white truck stocked with supplies to help the homeless.
Barrett said, “I have PPE’s for my homeless clients, I’ve got clothes, sleeping bags, I’ve got underwear, socks, I have a bit of everything.”
Assisted by organizations like “Footwear with Care “and Hartford Bags of Love, Barrett gathers donations to keep his mission alive for, what he estimates, upwards of 850 homeless in the Hartford area. Barrett is Hartford’s lone homeless outreach officer and says, especially now, his expertise is needed more than ever in the 18 years of serving on the Hartford force.
"It’s an honor and a passion,” Barrett said, “this is my calling.”
To learn more about Barrett’s efforts and to donate to his homeless outreach cause click here.