Recently, I sat down for coffee with a local street outreach worker to discuss his interactions with the most vulnerable of homeless individuals on Tulsa’s streets.
I am talking about the person you see alone, talking to themselves, wondering around the streets in a clear state of physical and mental deterioration. When I asked this worker about reaching out for assistance to representatives of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services’ Adult Protective Services Division, his reaction was visceral in the most negative sense.
In all honesty, his reaction did not surprise me. I’ve seen it before.
In my over 40 years of social work practice, I have never known Adult Protective Services to enjoy a good reputation in the larger social services community.
Common responses I hear: “They won’t do anything.” “I don’t even call them anymore because it’s a waste of time.”
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When social workers have contacted Adult Protective Services, often they get a polite response of, “We would like to help, but we just don’t have enough staff and funding.”
My reaction is to point out that no nonprofit has enough staff and funding, but here we are.
Nonprofits, hospitals, churches, families, neighbors and sometimes law enforcement/first responders, are in the community trying to figure out what to do with these vulnerable adults, often housed, sometimes homeless, who cannot care for themselves properly. These individuals simply do not have the social and family supports needed to make sure their daily living needs are being met.
A perusal of the DHS Adult Protective Services website describes who meets eligibility for its services; the language is clear: “Adult Protective Services assists adults who need help taking care of themselves and who may be experiencing maltreatment.”
It cites state law defining a vulnerable adult as “an individual who is an incapacitated person or who, because of a physical or mental disability, including persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, incapacity, or other disability, is substantially impaired in the ability to provide adequately for the care or custody of himself or herself, or is unable to manage his or her property and financial affairs effectively, or to meet essential requirements for mental or physical health or safety, or to protect himself or herself from abuse, verbal abuse, neglect, or exploitation without assistance from others.”
The individuals I reference with street outreach workers obviously meet these eligibility parameters and are in need of Adult Protective Services involvement.
In many cases, Adult Protective Services may not be able to initiate legal actions. But its workers could join hospital social workers and outreach workers as we huddle up and scratch our heads together to decide upon the most humane, effective response.
What solutions can we find to make sure the daily living needs of these vulnerable individuals are being met today, tomorrow and the day after?
Homelessness rates are growing as Oklahoma’s demographic trends show an increasing percentage of aging Oklahomans.
Does Adult Protective Services need more funding and more staff to meet the demand? Maybe.
What is apparent is a need for this division to be re-thought and recreated from scratch to meet the needs and demands of today’s realities. Its philosophy, its strategy and its community role need a complete overhaul.
This is a department — and its employees — responsible directly to Gov. Kevin Stitt. I encourage him to work with social workers from the frontlines to put together a blue-ribbon panel to take a close look at the Adult Protective Services Division.
We could work with the governor to find the ways and means allowing the division to be retooled and redesigned, allowing it to be fully integrated with the private and nonprofit sectors’ social services system. Together, we can dramatically improve our collective response to these people who desperately need their state and communities to be able to assure they have the care they need.
That is what a just and humane society does when it comes to their most vulnerable people. Let’s not waste time, governor. Let’s get started.
Brose
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Mike Brose is the former executive director of Mental Health Association Oklahoma, an adjunct university instructor and practicing licensed clinical social worker. He is a member of the Tulsa World Community Advisory Board.
