Homeless man, Francis, in park on Seventh Prospect Ave
A man named Frances can be found on most days, sitting in the park off of Seventh Ave. and Prospect Ave. The park is named after a police officer but I can't recall the name.
Frances has been around the area for ten years, so I hear, but now his mental and physical state are both deteriorating at very rapid pace. He is sitting on a park bench, in his own feces, no matter what the weather. There are some men who give him clothing, food, money???? and I guess, booze. They try to talk to him and help but....now the situation is escalating at an alarming rate.
How can this person be helped? I have also heard that he sometimes goes to Methodist Hospital but don't know what kind of help he may have had as far as a facility.
The men who are trying to help Francis are not computer literate and come from the mindset that it is the Mayor's policy, the police policy, or some "other" unknown reason -- basically, none of us know how social services can help. They don't understand the system...who really does?
Truly, Frances is really in bad condition, just sitting in the sun during the most terrible heat. He is dirty and as mentioned earlier, just relieves himself and sits around his own excrement.
Is this a police matter, a parks matter, a parks police matter, how in the world does someone like this get help? One of the men says that Frances wants to die.
Does anyone know the history?
Frances has been around the area for ten years, so I hear, but now his mental and physical state are both deteriorating at very rapid pace. He is sitting on a park bench, in his own feces, no matter what the weather. There are some men who give him clothing, food, money???? and I guess, booze. They try to talk to him and help but....now the situation is escalating at an alarming rate.
How can this person be helped? I have also heard that he sometimes goes to Methodist Hospital but don't know what kind of help he may have had as far as a facility.
The men who are trying to help Francis are not computer literate and come from the mindset that it is the Mayor's policy, the police policy, or some "other" unknown reason -- basically, none of us know how social services can help. They don't understand the system...who really does?
Truly, Frances is really in bad condition, just sitting in the sun during the most terrible heat. He is dirty and as mentioned earlier, just relieves himself and sits around his own excrement.
Is this a police matter, a parks matter, a parks police matter, how in the world does someone like this get help? One of the men says that Frances wants to die.
Does anyone know the history?
Comments
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This is a "street outreach" matter.
One calls 311 and they are supposed to let Common Ground know.
If 311 is clueless, call Common Ground directly. They have the contract for Brooklyn from the Department of Homeless Services to do this work.
http://www.commonground.org/?page_id=32
....their workers know the system well enough to get him help.
...but he has the right to not accept it under most circumstances (don't get me started on this subject, I'll type for days). -
this is NYC you have to wait for him to flip out and hurt/kill someone and then the police press and the jerk mayor and city council all sit there and make remarks about how this never shoudl have happened and each blaming someone else as to who dropped the ball....
I would make continual calls to 311 to try and get some lazy city worker to actually earn their paycheck -
Yes, whynot_31 is right. I'm a social worker and have done homeless services in the past; with street outreach (311) they will either dispatch an ambulance, a police officer or the street outreach team depending on what state this man is in. Unfortunately, the client has every right to refuse services and remain where he is, unless he is dead, dying, or breaking the law. Common Ground is a good resource, as is BRC (Bowery Residence Committee) they have some excellent programs. http://www.brc.org/
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I received an email from someone who thinks Francis (spelling corrected) might be her estranged dad. Have to check last name. Told her to come if she is able. She just happened to type in "Homeless man Park Slope" and this post came up.
Pretty amazing. -
Amber and WhyNot said it best. There are plenty of services for individuals like Frances, but he has to be willing to accept them. Regarding mental health services, civil liberterians have worked overtime to ensure that the homeless mentally ill, few of whom are in a position to make a sound decision about their health, remain on the streets and deteriorate. Judging from what you say about his state, I would call 911. It sounds like he probably has some serious medical problems and perhaps getting him to an ER and onto a medical floor would wind up getting him much-needed services. Of course, hospitals typically focus on a speedy discharge due to reimbursements, costs, etc., and it sounds like he's already had contact with Methodist, but IMO it'd be worth a try. I agree with WhyNot...very frustrating situation that should not be.
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i saw him friday, surrounded by people talking with him. not sure what was going on but they all ended up going away.
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Hello. I am out of town for a week. There are plenty of people who care about Francis but, as many of the writers have pointed out, he has to want to get help. I have a feeling that he may soon receive the help he so needs.
Unfortunately, I can't follow up in person until next week. Please know that your responses and care will help this man.
I did receive a private email from someone who might show up and help.
Please keep me posted as I am away.
Thank you all!!! It all starts with what is in front of our doorsteps. -
Subject: Frances
I am a friend of Frances.
He is an amazing individual, one in a million.
I have gotten the ambulance there several times, but he always
manages to get out of it.
I have spoken to his ex-wife, the social worker, his brother,
people in the neighborhood that have been trying to help him.
It is a heartbreaking situation.
If anyone is interested in making a concerted effort to help him.
Together I think we could make a difference in this wonderful man's life.
Thank you,
Faith
347-268-5189 -
he's an interesting fellow. but the greasy food piles, trash, newspapers, etc..that he surrounds himself with are gross, smelly and quite frankly, not exactly what public parks are for.
he wants to live freely; and that's his choice. he doesn't want "help." i see no reason at all to "try to make a difference." he's shown signs of schizophrenia, and will need to be off the streets soon.
wanna help? give him a box of baby wipes to clean his ass. -
Wow, that's a really rough reply.
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People like Chip moving into our neighborhood is one of the negative aspects of gentrification. A real Brooklynite would never make a comment like that.
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A real human being wouldn't make a comment like that
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As we've mentioned, in the present legal environment, it is very difficult to get non-consenting individuals (I've never met Frances to my knowledge) the care they need.
I believe that letting someone like Frances continue to deteriorate because they are too ill to consent is simply "wrong", but there many people in the world who disagree with me.
While the issue of consent is a complex legal morrass and important, let's not deny the situation at hand: Coalition for the Homeless regularly publishes statistics of the number of homeless who die each year due to things like exposure to cold. ....yet, in almost every instance, care was repeatedly offered to them, but "the system" was unable to get them the care they needed as a result of laws concerning consent for treatment.
Folks like Shelly Nortz, the Deputy Executive Director at Coalition for the Homeless, tirelessly work on such issues. I've met her on several occasions, and have a lot of respect for her.
www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/pages/leadership-list
So, to respond to the OP and others who wonder "what can we do?", I reply:
Despite there being very few situations in which an individual can be provided care against their will, Frances might meet them. You'd have to get the attention of a professional who knows his case well, and be persistent. Please give Common Ground a call. Their workers may be unaware of his current whereabouts, or how bad his situation presently is.
You could also help Shelly and her peers in their work by making a donation or volunteering.
...and at the end of the day, you can rest knowing you did all you could. -
Local Native wrote: People like Chip moving into our neighborhood is one of the negative aspects of gentrification. A real Brooklynite would never make a comment like that.
Wow, generalize much? -
A real Brooklynite would never spend time on an Interwebs message board slamming people like Chip for not being Brooklyn enough.
I feel for Frances. My best friend developed schizophrenia in his youth, and it's been a nightmare. I'm pretty sure that any ER in the city would try to get rid of him as quickly as possible, in the event that he could be convinced that he needs help.
The best hope for him might be that a relative would be granted a court-ordered guardianship, so that decisions that he can't make for himself could be made on his behalf. Ideally a concerned family member would seek out a competent attorney who would help to get this type of arrangement in place. -
I see how that sounds like I'm generalizing. I was just mad when I wrote it. The positive aspects of gentrification far outweigh the negatives, however, I see this winey, eliteism trend as a big negative. Back in the day we would come together to help someone like Frances and someone making a comment like Chip's would wind up with a black eye. As for Fiction, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.. My family has been in this neighborhood since the late 1800's. Anyone taking the time to give me or anyone a hard time instead of standing up for Frances pretty much proves my point. We are all equal. Stand up for what's right.
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You know nothing about me, or my history, so feel free to make assumptions. I find it highly amusing.
The park is for all. For playing catch. For dogs. For the school kids around the corner. To turn it into a homeless haven, with benches soaked with pee and grease is not what ultimately serves the community. How many benches is he alloted by your count?
I have no need to "stand up" for Frances. He's taken a stand outside of society, and is quite content. There are options he has turned down thus far. When he becomes a danger to himself or others, it changes the picture.
Add a few more drunk guys, eventually a drunken fight, and then see how much you embrace him as a neighbor.
BTW, what does my street cred have to do with any of this? Homelessness is not a local problem. It's an AMERICAN problem. -
Dear Chipster,
I hope you are never stricken with a mental illness, or a family tragedy, or any sudden catastrophic life event beyond your control so that your status is taken out of your hands. Because what will happen then, you see, is that some other asshole will be looking at you sitting on the bench, unwell, confused. They will be walking past you, glaring, carrying their frisbee, assuming that you thought that you were outside society, and made all these choices yourself and deserved (!) to be sitting in your own excrement. It will suck, but the upshot is, his misguided opinions will be too idiotic for you to care about at that point.
Remember, people turn down options out of a lot of reasons, not always well thought out. Take a moment and ask yourself, if I was sitting in excrement, would I be, perhaps, depressed? confused? even mentally unwell? Then, realize that perhaps this Francis isn't exactly in a position to be making the best choices, and would benefit from a group of concerned people who wouldn't let him fall through the cracks. -
Aw man, I totally knew the classic "I hope you never..." post was coming. Internet ESP!
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I still don't know where this park is- is it by the highway south of Prospect?
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Subject: Homeless man in Detective Joseph Mayrose Park
The park is actually on 17th street and 7th ave. I only know this (and the name of the park) as I called 911 recently for this man. I noticed that he was very bloodied, and his eye seemed like it had a very bad cut. This was a few months ago. I don't know him, and never knew his name until now, but my little girl and I walk by there almost every day. I saw that he seemed hurt and called 911 but they said he refused treatment when I called back to check in. I sincerely hope that he can receive help as he seems mentally ill and very depressed. -
HomeGrown is the volunteer group that takes care of Butterfly Garden, the park across 7th Avenue from Mayrose Park where Francis spends most of his time. We just wanted to let everyone know that we spoke with the guys from Common Ground. They told us that they’ve been working with Francis for years (even found him an apartment at one point – but he didn’t like the commute to Astoria), they’re aware his health has been deteriorating, and they’re keeping in close touch with him … BUT he’s where he wants to be right now.
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Walked past there this morning and his "area" was dirtier than usual. Looks like Prospect Park after the 4th of July.
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