SUMMARY - Street Outreach Teams
In the quiet hours before dawn, a social worker named Elena begins her rounds in a downtown alleyway, carrying a bag of warm meals, hygiene kits, and information cards for shelter intake. For Elena, this routine is not merely a job but a moral imperative; she views street outreach as the critical first link in a chain that can prevent death by exposure, overdose, or violence. She sees individuals like Marcus, a veteran struggling with PTSD, who has repeatedly been turned away from shelters due to behavioral protocols.