Homeless, Not Hopeless—Unless You’re in Lubbock

If you frequent downtown Lubbock, the preferred area for the homeless, you'll notice the same faces on the Lubbock County Mugshots page that you see sitting alone on the sidewalks of Avenue Q, or pushing a shopping cart past the bus station, over and over again. The bulk of those repeatedly picked up by the police appear to be homeless, mentally ill, drug addicted, or a mix of the three.

I fear there is no end in sight for these people. No redemption. No happy ending. Just a life of constant suffering and misery.

It seems these repeat offenders are not learning their lesson, getting better, or getting the resources they need to turn their lives around. Quite the opposite. Their endless arrest records are making it even harder for them to ever have the slightest chance at getting a job and having a normal life.

Some of these folks need extensive treatment and rehabilitation.

Why are we letting people slip through the cracks like this? Why haven't we found a solution to this problem? A night in jail for trespassing isn't helping them one bit.

I'm tired of hearing, "Well, at least they got a free night in jail and a meal."

That is NOT the solution.

That's putting a band-aid on a stab wound.

I'd like to point out one person in particular, someone who is a regular in the Lubbock County Jail. His name is Dustin Havens. He's homeless and only 26 years old. I see him wandering around Burger King near my apartment sometimes. Whether he's arrested for trespassing, paraphernalia, or illegal camping, he seems to find his way back to jail over and over again.

Each time I see his face pop up on Lubbock County Mugshots AGAIN, I am reminded that our way of doing things is not working.

Each time he is arrested, he looks worse than the last.

Each time he is arrested, people beg in the comment section for SOMEONE to do something.

He, and many others like him, need a big hand in the right direction.

I can't attest to what people in his life have done to try to help him, but I know that many times, mental illness plays a key factor in homelessness. After seeing how many times he has been arrested, I'd be willing to bet that has something to do with his situation, but I could be wrong. Either way, he needs help.

I know that untreated mental illness pushes family and friends to their breaking points. It often leaves the person suffering completely alone in the world to fend for themselves. Mental illness leads people to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol in an attempt to escape the way they feel and their reality. It's a vicious cycle that needs serious intervention.

With no one to intervene, they are left to their own devices. Many of the homeless in Lubbock desperately need that intervention, whether court-mandated or not. They need real, lasting help.

I don't think it's happening. Do you?

26 is too young to be completely forgotten in a city smaller than we realize. Have we given up on kids like Dustin?

We have got to do better. We are letting down our community every time we slap a homeless person on the wrist and put them back on the street again with no hope.

These are people, and their lives have value.

They need more than this.

Can you imagine spending your entire, ONLY life trapped in this cycle with no one to care?

Lubbock only has around 300 documented homeless people on record. That's SO few compared to big cities. It seems like a number we could tackle if we took the time to listen, treat them as humans, address their underlying issues like mental illness and addiction, and provide them with continued and rigorous support to get to the bottom of the problem.

What is the solution? Does Lubbock need a larger mental health hospital? Should we blame a judge for allowing this madness to continue without consequence or forced rehabilitation time? How can we prevent the homeless in Lubbock from being forgotten? How can we be sure we've done EVERYTHING in our power to help them?

I want to hear from you, Lubbock.

Please email me at Chrissy.Covington@townsquaremedia.com and let's keep this conversation going.