T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM MPACT Community Advocate Tiffany Beadle shows the bullet proof vest the advocates wear for their protection. The vehicle the advocates drive has a screen separating the back seat from the front after one advocate was attacked and choked as he was driving.

Every day is different for MPACT (the Marshalltown Police and Community Team), but the mission to positively impact people’s lives remains the same. Community Advocate Tiffany Beadle has been on the job for two months, but Thursday proved to be a busy day full of firsts.

Working with the homeless population in Marshalltown is a major aspect of the community advocate job. Beadle received a call from one of her homeless clients and was informed he was approved for housing. A smile spread across Beadle’s face at that news.

“This is exciting,” she said. “This is my first homeless-to-housed. This is very exciting, and I’m getting a little emotional.”

After the good news, Beadle continued her work for more homeless clients. She makes daily trips to “tent city” to see if anyone new is there, and to inquire about anything she could assist with. A property owner, who Beadle said is nice enough to let some homeless reside there, received a nuisance letter regarding trash. MPACT was able to provide a dumpster free of charge to “tent city” in response to the letter.

During her Thursday visit, she said the amount of trash had been greatly reduced and the area was more organized. The wood pile used for warmth and cooking was stacked in one location. Freshly-washed clothing was hanging neatly on a clothesline. Numerous pieces of garbage were in the dumpster as more was thrown in. Smaller pieces, such as razor blades, were still on the ground, but they were taking care in picking it all up.

Beadle asked one of the men picking up trash if he would let her help him. In response, he asked “With what?”

She said “Anything.” The man, who Beadle said did not give her a real name, said he did not live there, but she had seen him at “tent city” before.

MPACT advocates are also trying to figure out what the homeless are going to do regarding the city ordinance banning people from camping for 14 consecutive days or longer.

“We can’t make anybody do anything,” Beadle said. “I can offer them a ride to a shelter. The nearest one is Ames.”

When she presents that option, a response she receives is, “You guys just want us out of town.” Beadle tells them that is not the goal. There is just no location in Marshalltown for them to go.

“So, let’s get you on your feet. Let’s get you a job, everything you need and then we can work on getting you back in town,” she said. “There’s just nowhere to start right now. It’s hard to explain that because I can understand why they think we all want them out of town.”

Another first occurred when one of the “tent city” residents, Ben, took her to meet some people.

“I always encourage them, if they have friends they think could benefit from talking with me, to let me know,” Beadle said. “This is the first time Ben has brought me to somebody.”

He got in the back of the vehicle, and directed her toward the home. She met with two women, one of whom desired to have her own home. The women were older and one, who was on disability, had an injury on her foot. After talking with them, Beadle said she would return to get a better understanding of the best way to help. She then drove herself and Ben back to “tent city.”

Visiting the people at “tent city” does not make Beadle uncomfortable. She feels safe with them, she said, even though some do have histories.

“They have no ill will toward me,” Beadle said. “I am there to help them get out of the situation they are in. I had one just crying one day, thanking me because no one else had been out there to do this. Just looking at them like they are human, that is the main thing.”

To help ensure the safety of the advocates, the police department is always informed of their location and the people they are meeting. The advocates are also equipped with bulletproof vests, and the vehicle they use has a screen separating the backseat from the front.

“It was added after a woman with a mental health crisis reached forward and choked the community advocate,” Beadle said. “They put this up for our safety and officers always pat down the individual that’s getting in our vehicle to make sure there is nothing that could harm us.”

Other clients

The homeless are not the only ones MPACT assists. Another Thursday first occurred during the first hour of her shift. A father brought his son to the police station because the son was smoking marijuana. It was the first time Beadle had seen a parent bring a child in to talk about drugs. She asked the son if the dealer could be trusted. The son told her no.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to do that?” Beadle asked, and the son shook his head. “Fentanyl is the leading killer right now. They can put that in anything, crush it up. It only takes a miniscule amount to kill you. I’m not meaning to scare you, but at the same time I am. That is every parent’s worst nightmare. Dad’s not here to get you in trouble. He’s here to get you help. A lot of people in your position don’t have parents who care enough to bring them in and talk with me.”

The father asked if the son was in trouble, and Beadle told him no. She assured the son she believed he was a good kid, began the referral process with a substance abuse counselor at YSS and scheduled a time to meet with the son and both parents.

Beadle started her Thursday by meeting with two juveniles, one of whom will turn 18 in a few months, who are in a relationship. The families of the juveniles are not happy with the situation.

“We are seeing if we can get them set up,” Beadle said. “They want to be together, and the families are not on board. I’m just making sure they don’t end up on the streets. I was able to provide them with gas cards today.”

She believes pregnancy might be the reason the families are against the relationship.

“It’s usually parents not being on board with it,” Beadle said. “Once we have permission from the guardians to talk with them, we can be the support they are not getting at home.”

What makes juvenile situations difficult is possible pushback from parents, and she said they cannot overstep the boundaries.

“You care about them, you want to be there for them, but you have to know what lines not to cross,” Beadle said.

The support advocates provide might include making sure the pregnant teen is taking the proper prenatal vitamins and receiving medical care. While MPACT is not a taxi service, she said, they will drive clients to appointments.

Trying to secure a feasible low-income apartment is the primary task for the juveniles and numerous MPACT clients, and Beadle hopes there is a solution on the horizon.

“I do think it’s on the mend,” she said. “I think we’re trying. I think everybody just has to be on board for trying. Unfortunately one person can’t change everything. If we can get the community on board, that would be helpful.”

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.