AMHERST -- Five homeless people were arrested for drinking in public behind the Amherst Historical Museum last weekend.
The weekend before, police were called for a disturbance and the museum and issued subsequent trespassing orders to three homeless people.
That same weekend, police were called to move homeless people camping on the First Congregational Church lawn -- and that follows repeat calls for issues at the West Street Cemetery.
But people without homes have no place to sleep now that the winter shelter has closed. It closes from May 1 through Oct. 31.
There are 10 chronically homeless people in Amherst that police know about, said Capt. Jennifer Gundersen. But people who are homeless said there are more. They like the town but that means finding places to sleep.
Communities all over the country are faced with the issue.
"It's a complex societal problem," Gundersen said. "It's not a police problem."
Arresting people is not solving the issue. But at the same time, police are very much part of the team.
Craig's Doors, which operates the seasonal homeless shelter, has an outreach worker trying to connect people to services, as do programs at the Survival Center.
Eliot Homeless Services has caseworkers in town. The Amherst Business Improvement District is also involved, especially after concerns were raised this spring about panhandling. They are still trying to figure a way to address it.
Temporary Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner is having conversations with staff in town as well, knowing town officials are part of the discussion for a problem that will not be easily fixed.
With part of the $33,615 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health as part of its Jail Diversion Program, some officers received 40 hours of specialized mental health training to be part of the Crisis Intervention Team. All officers received eight hours of training.
Officers have been out in recent days walking downtown streets trying to connect with homeless people to talk about needs. They also met with business owners to let them know they were out there to allay concerns.
Officer Michael Barone, who is part of that team, said there will be even more officers out next month. Officers check in with people, making sure they're OK. The goal "is to build relationships," he said, so rather than see an officer as someone who's going to arrest them, they see someone who can help.
On one recent day he was checking in with people trying to find out what happened last weekend that led to the arrests at the museum.
Part of what he can do is make sure everyone who needs services knows what's available. He said the people he's working with are already getting available services, which makes the solution difficult. Still it's important for him to get people any help he can.
Rebekah Wilder of Craig's Doors said with the shelter closed the organization has a caseworker is helping connect people with services.
"We're definitely out there trying to work with people to do what we can for them," she said.
And she said they've talked to Sarah la Cour at the Amherst Business Improvement District when there were issues with panhandling last month. The caseworker can talk "with guests causing issues to help them find a better solution. We're always there to mediate," she said.
"It's important that we don't lose the trust guests have in us. We can have conversations that are harder for others to have."
About 26 percent of the people who seek shelter are struggling with alcohol and about 24 percent struggle with drug addiction. And in both cases, more than 70 percent of those with addictions have mental health issues as well, she said.
Funding is an issue, she said. They have just one case manager now and could use an additional $30,000 to hire someone else.
She said Craig's Doors received a $24,000 grant for rental subsidies that will help five people get off of the street. Additional subsides for rental assistance would help as well.
But people need services to remain in housing. For people to get social security, she said, "you have to be able to keep up with your paperwork. If you're struggling with mental illness it's not something they can follow through (on.)"
"It is one of the toughest issues for a lot of clients. Having case managers to go where they are is so important," she said.
Eliot's House caseworkers are in town about three days a week, said regional manager Jay Levy. They are at the Jones Library or the Amherst Survival Center or the weekly breakfast at the Unitarian Society. "Wherever people are gathering we get to know people," he said.
Caseworkers target people with mental health issues. And he said they are goal-focused, asking what the people they meet want, such as bus passes or help filling out applications. "We always keep an eye out to safety, harm reduction," Levy said.
Paul Scace and Tara Raitt said they want housing, but neither has an income right now.
Scace got a general discharge from the military 25 years ago and has been in and out of Solider On, a homeless veterans shelter in Leeds, he said. But he drinks and then he's sober. But he can't drink and live at the shelter in Leeds.
He was offered veterans housing again recently, but accepting it would mean leaving Raitt, who he met in November. That's not something he's willing to do.
The couple are working with caseworkers at Craig's Doors and with a counselor in Springfield Partners for Community Action. Both said if they can get housing they would be able to work.
Raitt, a Florida transplant, said she has medical issues. She had been working for the BID but suffered from blood clots and had to stop. She is trying to get help to get on supplemental security income, but she said she would rather work.
It's hard to apply for a job with out a place to live, Raitt said. The couple can shower at the Survival Center, but sometimes the lines are long. Keeping clothes clean is not easy either.
Staying sober is also a problem for Scace.
"I'm good for a couple of months," Scace said. "But I'm a grownup." If he wants to have a couple of beers, he said, he will.
The two said they keep to themselves and try to stay away from other homeless people and clean up after themselves. Scace said he even picks up his cigarette butts.
Raitt was upset that someone even dumped cheese snacks near where they were sitting, but Scace pointed out that the birds were eating the curls.
There's no place to legally sleep out in town, which makes it hard when the shelter is closed.
But as Raitt said, she loves Amherst. "This is a beautiful town."