Winter blast prompts homeless man to move off the streets of Peoria

PEORIA — Last week’s winter storm prompted one Valley homeless man to finally get help.

Antonio Ayala slept on Peoria’s streets during the freezing weather.

All he had was “my backpack, with a little tent, put some pillows in there, and that’s it,” he said.

“Cover up, it gets really cold.”

Illegal drug use led him to suicidal thoughts, he said. He avoided police who could have gotten him into a shelter.

“I just didn’t want to bother nobody,” Ayala said. “I feel like I’m a bother to everybody, but I’m not.”

Ayala couldn’t take it anymore, so he made it to Peoria’s homeless outreach event at the Rio Vista Recreation Center on Monday.

It connected the homeless with housing, drug and mental health counseling, and veterinary services for their pets.

Ayala is checking into therapy.

“There is hope,” he told others escaping his situation. “Never give up, and you’ll make it. Life does get better.”

The city and police can connect the homeless to shelters and medical services.

Peoria police hope a more compassionate approach will convince their city’s homeless to get off the streets, first by not stressing that they’re “the police.”

“We shake hands,” said Detective Lisa Scott. “We introduce ourselves with our first name, not, ‘Hey, what are you doing here?'”

Scott said the homeless often reject help because of mental disability, pride and embarrassment, so officers are trained in crisis intervention, which she leads.

Scott said the 40-hour training helps officers “to have a better understanding of mental health issues, addiction issues, what resources are available, how to de-escalate somebody in crisis.”

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